Secrets in Blue
by EmonyJade
Summary: Being different is hard, but fitting in can be just as difficult when you don't know where you belong. Zanthia thought she belonged with the Jedi, but now, she's not so sure. This is a Jedi Knight story. It does not follow the storyline from the game. Very Chiss oriented.
1. Chapter 1

Hello folks. I'm in the middle of one SWTOR story, but I have a second one I've been working on for almost as long as the first one. I wanted to at least start posting it too, since I've had a fairly good response to my first tale. This one is a bit different, told in various POV, mostly the main character, but in later chapters, others will join in. You will recognize many of the names, but I am not strictly following any storyline from the game.

Hope you like.

* * *

 **Zanthia POV**

I stood silently beside master Bela Kiwiiks as she spoke with the other members of the Jedi council, thankful to not be the focus of the conversation in the room. Council meetings were always so serious, it had taken me almost a year to get comfortable observing them.

Being one of the only Chiss in the Republic, and the only Chiss currently in the ranks of the Jedi, I always stood out. No matter where I went, or who I was with, I tended to draw attention to myself with nothing more than my mere presence. Master Kiwiiks was still working with me on my issues of self consciousness, but being different wasn't something you could get use to overnight.

True, I had been raised in the Republic from an infant and had been Master Kiwiiks padawan since I was 5, so I had almost 20 years to get use to being different, but I still struggled. When I was young, I didn't' realize the reason I drew so much attention was because of my species. How do you tell a child that the looks of mistrust and hatred thrown her way were because she was a member of a species that didn't normally agree with her adoptive family's side of a war.

Training to become a Jedi had helped. I learned about peace and how to channel my anger in healthy ways. It also helped having a Togruta as a master. True, the Togruta species didn't normally get looks of mistrust when entering a room, since they were fairly common in the Republic, but they did get stares from people not use to their unusual appearance. Master Kiwiiks taught me to ignore the looks. She told me that someone worth my time would not judge me by my appearance, but by my actions. I wanted to believe her and for the most part I did.

I had gotten to the point in my training where I often left Tython on my own, traveling to other Republic worlds to aid in various causes. People were often wary of me, until they learned I was a Jedi. The wariness didn't surprise me or bother me much anymore. The confidence, patience and gentle nature the Jedi had instilled in me always won out over the prejudice.

After about an hour, the council meeting adjourned and Master Kiwiiks got up to leave. I followed beside her obediently.

I had only been on Tython for a few hours, having just returned from a peacekeeping mission on Tatooine. I was running on only an hour of sleep over the last 3 days and I hadn't really been paying much attention to the meeting. My master liked for me to accompany her to council meetings and I always made it a point to pay attention, but this time my mind was just too sluggish with fatigue to focus. I had been taught several techniques to stave off exhaustion in the short term, but for the life of me, I couldn't seem to remember any of them.

"So, what do you think?" She asked me as we wandered down to her meditation room at a slow, almost meandering pace. This was a question I should have been ready for, since she asked me the question after every council meeting. She liked to hear my take on subjects discussed by my superiors. Apparently, it told her volumes about who I was as a person and helped her navigate my training.

The question knocked me out of my stupor. "What?"

"You weren't paying attention." Master Kiwiiks said. It wasn't a question.

"I apologize, Master. I'm afraid I missed most of what was said at the meeting. I didn't get much sleep on the trip back. I still get spacesick on those large transports."

Master Kiwiiks smiled at me sympathetically. "I understand how exhausting space travel can be, particularly after a long mission and when you don't travel well, but you need to learn to use the Force to push back your fatigue when important things are being discussed around you."

I nodded. "I understand, Master. I'll try harder next time."

Master Kiwiiks placed a supportive hand on my shoulder. "It's alright, my padawan. Just keep it in mind. Someday you might be in a situation where listening to details, even when you're beyond the capacity to act on them, could save your life or the lives of others." She gave me another smile and proceeded down the hall. "I hear your mission on Tatooine went well." She said, changing the subject.

Kiwiiks had never been one to over acknowledge my mistakes. She'd merely commented on them, corrected them and moved on. The practice was one of the things I liked most about the Jedi. She had a way of teaching and guiding me without making me feel like a failure when I made a mistake. She considered mistakes learning experiences. My Master forgave easily, as long as I learned from my mistakes.

"The mission did go well. Things were a little dicey at first, but once all parties involved realized we are all on the same side, the situation pretty much smoothed itself out. You were right. They just needed an objective third party to point out the obvious. There are too few strong communities on Tatooine. If the people would learn to work together, everyone would be better off in the long run. "

Kiwiiks chuckled. "I figured as much. It's a reason I sent you to deal with the trade dispute. Hardship doesn't always bring out the best in people. I was curious to see how you would handle it."

We reached the meditation room and we paused at the door.

"You did very well, Zanthia. I am extremely proud of you. You are one step closer to being a full Jedi."

I bowed slightly at the compliment. "Thank you, Master."

"Now, go get some rest. Things are quiet, for the time being. Take advantage of it, for things are never quiet for long."

I nodded, giving my Master a final bow and headed to my chambers. As a Jedi, I wasn't supposed to mind hardships, like sleeping in unfamiliar places, but I was looking forward to sleeping in my own bed. More importantly, a bed that wasn't on a moving starship.

* * *

To Be Continued...

Let me know what you think. I do love my Chiss!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 up. I'm still feeling this story out. Let me know what you think.

* * *

 **Zanthia POV**

I slept like a rock that night. I didn't even hear the three other padawans who shared my chambers come in at the end of the day. This wasn't unusual, since we were all accustomed to being on different schedules, with different masters and different trials. Most of us could sleep through anything after a long day.

Of the four of us, I had spent the most time off world, since I was farther along in my trials. If I had been awake, my friends would have pressed me for details on my latest mission. Needless to say, I was thankful to have been dead to the world when they arrived. As much as I liked my fellow padawans, I really wasn't' much of a storyteller and most of my missions were fairly tame.

The next morning I wasn't surprised to find I was the last one to get up. Mercifully, Master Kiwiiks had let me sleep in, but it seemed my fellow padawans had not been so lucky. I managed a quick shower before grabbing a bite to eat at the mess hall and heading out to the training yard. It was still early morning, so someone was bound to be sparring.

I got outside just in time to see the start of a sparring match between my friend and roommate, Grella, and a new padawan who must had arrived while I was off world, since I did not recognize him. He was a Cathar with brilliant white fur and almost unnaturally blue eyes. I definitely would have remembered him if I had seen him before.

I sat at the edge of the field and watched as the two padawans began to fight. Each had a training blade, since neither were advanced enough to build their lightsabers, and it was customary for students to use training blades to spare. Lightsabers were far too dangerous in the hands of a novice.

I had created my lightsaber almost a year ago, right before I started to go on solo missions off world. Master Kiwiiks would not allow me off world alone until I was ready to assemble the blade and had learned how to use it effectively. She told me I needed more protection when I was out in the universe than a training saber could provide. I had yet to use my weapon for anything other than cutting a large piece of metal blocking a travel route on Taris, but I did feel better knowing I had it, if I needed it.

As I watched the match, I could tell that Grella was going easy on the less experienced student. She was, by far, one of the most talented duelist among the padawans and masters often asked her to work with younger students. She would be even better, once she starting learning to use an actual lightsaber. Unfortunately, her strength in the Force wasn't nearly as good as her fighting skills. It would be months before she gained enough control to successfully make her weapon.

I was the exact opposite of my friend. My touch with the force was extremely strong, regardless of the assumption that Chiss were not known for being Force users. My lightsaber work, on the other hand, could be described as sufficient, at best. I was improving with practice, but I would probably never reach Grella's naturally talented level.

After a few more minutes of toying with her prey, Grella got in what would have been a killing blow. They bowed to each other and the match was over.

"You keep practicing." I she said as she returned her weapon to a rack and approached me, smiling contently. "What ya think? I'm good, aren't I?"

I nodded. Grella had never been shy. It was one of the things that made us get along so well. Her outspokenness complimented my usually mellow attitude almost perfectly. We helped each other adapt to being different. My friend was a red skinned Twi'lek. I had been told by Master Satele that dark red skin in Twi'leks was a rare mutation. Granted, Grella wasn't as different as I was, with my vibrate, dark blue skin and glowing red eyes, but she was different enough for us to form a lasting bond.

"Indeed." I replied as she sat beside me. "If only your control were as good as your dueling."

Grella rolled her eyes. "You sound like my master."

"Your master is a smart man." I said, leaning back on my elbows and stretching my legs out in front of me. It was a sunny day and I was enjoying being out in it. It was rare for any of us to get a chance to relax.

Grella didn't comment, simply mimicked my position next to me. You could barely tell she had been doing physical activity. She wasn't even out of breath. The padawan she had fought must have been really new for her to have been going that easy on him.

"What do you think of the Padawan Praxial?" She asked. Her gaze was firmly fixed on the Cathar she had been sparring, who was now speaking with Master Orgus.

"What do you mean by, what do I think of him? If you mean, what do I think of his dueling skills, I think he has a lot to learn. Though it is hard to tell, since next to you, most padawans have a lot to learn."

Grella chuckled. "No, silly. I mean what do you think of him? Stunningly eye catching, isn't he? I wouldn't normally go for the full body fur look, but it totally works on him."

I balanced on one elbow and slapped Grella on the arm with the free hand. "We are in training to be Jedi. We aren't allowed to have those kind of relationships, you know that as well as I do."

"True, but that doesn't mean we can't look and fantasize about those kinds of relationships, particularly when we have someone like that to look at."

"It's okay to think of such things, as long as it doesn't interfere with your focus in the now. Regardless, it is a dangerous path I would encourage you not to take at this point in your training." Came a voice from behind us. Grella turned, but I didn't need to. I knew Master Kiwiiks would find me eventually. She never had any trouble finding me.

Grella had been startled by my master's appearance. Further proof that she was not very far along with her control of the Force. I had sensed my master's presence long before she spoke, without too much conscious effort. I was beginning to get good at sensing the lifeforms around me. That was my natural talent. It was getting almost impossible to sneak up on me.

"Of course, master." Grella backpedaled. "I would never act on my fantasies. I know attachments of that kind are not allowed."

"It's alright, young one. You are training to be a Jedi, but you are still a lifeform. It is a natural biological imperative to have such emotions. Part of your training is to learn how to control your emotions, so you can move beyond them for the greater good." Master Kiwiiks said, in her usual teaching tone, the tone which said you are not in trouble, but you should learn from my words.

Gella nodded. "I'll remember that, master."

Master Kiwiiks smiled at Grella, then turned her attention to me. "Walk with me, Zanthia."

I got up from my lounging, brushing stray grass from my robes. I waved goodbye to Grella, who had already returned her gaze to the training field, and followed my master back towards the temple.

"How are you feeling?" She asked me. "You were very unfocused the last time we spoke."

"Much better, master. Rested and ready to go."

"Good to hear." Master Kiwiiks said, then remained silent until we entered her meditation chamber. Once inside, she dialed up a holo projection of a planet on the table and looked to me.

"Do you remember when I told you about the old Jedi research vessel, the Gossamer?" She asked.

"Yes. If I recall correctly, it was a ship whose purpose was to research the origins of the Force. It was shot down at the beginning of the war on Hoth and was never recovered."

"Correct. It was lost in what is know as the starship graveyard, where decades of ice and snow have entombed hundreds of ships on Hoth. "She stopped the spinning holo projection and focused it on a small section of the planet. "It was lost, until yesterday, apparently."

"They found it?" I asked. I could hear the excitement in my master's voice. The Gossamer had been a well known fascination to my master for years.

"I was contacted this morning by the commanding officer of the main Republic base on Hoth. His name is Colonel Windborne and he has been the commander of Auruk base for years. He knows well my fascination of the Gossamer. He reports that a Republic research team has uncovered a ship, which matches the age and location of the Gossamer. They are almost positive it is the ship and have asked if I would care to participate in its unearthing. A find like this could be monumental to the Jedi. Just imagine would knowledge we could find on board, if the vessel is still intact. I plan to travel to Hoth to oversee the excavation and I would like you to accompany me."

"I'd be honored, master, of course. I've never been to an ice planet before." I replied, maybe a bit too enthusiastically.

"I'll leave your participation up to you, since this would not be like your other missions, Zanthia." Kiwiiks said, turning away from the holo image of Hoth to face me directly. "This mission could be dangerous. Hoth is currently highly contested territory. It's not just the Republic and the Empire, but also several groups of pirates and scavengers. Part of our presence there will be to help protect the site from hostile parties. You have never been in a real battle before and I do not wish to push you into conflict before you are ready."

I could sense my master was genuinely concerned about pressing me into a situation I may not be ready for, but I could also sense something else in her. She wasn't telling me everything.

"I'm ready to face whatever challenges might arise, but you're leaving something out."

Master Kiwiiks smiled at me. I could feel per pride.

"Good. Your connection to the Force grows more and more each day. Yes, there is one other thing which might affect your decision to go with me to Hoth." She stepped away from the table and paced across the room, then back again, her hands clasped together behind her back. "Reports are scattered, of course, but it has been noted several times that there is a rather large Chiss population on Hoth. We assume they are there to support the Empire. There is a significant chance of you running into another of your species. You might even be forced to battle one."

I sat down in one of the nearby chairs. I wasn't shocked to hear about others of my kind on Hoth, but the news still nudged a bit of conflict inside me. Conflict I kept pushed to the side, to prevent it from distracting me. The Republic had little information about the Chiss as a species and what they did have was more assumption and rumor than fact. The few Chiss who had defected to the Republic were frustratingly tight-lipped about Chiss society as a whole. They would share openly about the Empire, but every single one of them refused to elaborate on any Chiss specific inquires. This left me to be raised with a lot of questions about my species, with little to no answers. Everything I knew about my species I was forced to learn from first hand experience.

"I guess it makes sense. We're rumored to be well adapted to cold climates. At the very least, we can confirm or debunk that rumor for sure if I go on the mission. As for defending myself and others from an attack, I will do what I must, regardless for who or what is attacking."

"I have raised you as best I can. It troubles me deeply to not be able to provide you the answers I know you desperately seek. I do not wish your first confrontation with others of your kind to prove to be your undoing. I care a great deal for you."

"I wish to go to Hoth with you, master. There will be no issues. At least as it pertains to my genetics. I can't guarantee I'll be much good to you in a fight, but I will do my best."

"That is all I have ever asked of you, my padawan." She turned off the holoprojector. "A transport will be leaving for Coruscant this afternoon. I have some business to attend to on Coruscant before I travel to Hoth. When we arrive, you will board a larger transport and head directly to Hoth. I will join you in a week or so. I will inform Colonel Windborne of your early arrival, to prevent any confrontations your arrival might cause."

"You mean to prevent anyone from pointing a blaster in my face, thinking I'm there to infiltrate the base." I was only half joking. In truth, I had been threatened on a few occasions when traveling on Republic worlds.

"Exactly. Normally, I consider it a valuable exercise, to negotiate out of a situation such as the ones you face, but this time, there will be enough unknowns. No need to upset the poor people stationed on Hoth. It's not the most cheerful of places to be stationed. I feel we will face many challenges on the mission. There is no need for your involvement to be one of them."

I nodded, secretly thanking my master in my head. As much as I was used to being seen as a potential threat when I got off a transport, it would be nice to be expected, for a change.

* * *

To Be Continued...

Forgive any spelling and/or technical issues. I'm posing with a new computer and I'm still working out the document features. Thanks for reading.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 up. Thanks to all who are reading.

* * *

The trip to Coruscant was uneventful. Traveling by Republic transport with Master Kiwiiks usually went fairly smoothly, mainly because she was an easily recognizable and highly respected member of the Jedi council. People still gave me less than friendly looks when I was with her, but they always refrained from pointing a weapon in my direction.

To be honest, I was not shown open hostility over my appearance often. If it did happen, it was usually a soldier or freedom fighter, who had seen too much war with the Empire, who felt the need to be hostile towards me. Everytime, the situation had been handled peacefully.

I was still thankful to be traveling with my master.

When we arrived on Coruscant, we were informed that the transport I was to take to Hoth was currently waiting on me to depart.

"So, what do I do while I wait for you to arrive?" I asked as we made our way to my next flight. The spaceport was relatively empty. I had only been in the Coruscant spaceport twice before and each time the place had been almost deserted. I figured it was a matter of security. The fewer people hanging around the area, the fewer security risks. After the attack by the Empire so many years ago, the senate wasn't taking any chances.

"I want you to get acclimated to the environment. You've never visited an ice planet. They are an entirely different animal that what you have seen before. Meditate on the mission to come and try to stay on the base. That being said, if something happens and your assistance as a Jedi is needed, do what you think is best. I wouldn't have you sitting in the base meditating if your time is best spent helping those in need. I trust your judgement. With any luck, I will join you in a week or two."

I nodded. "May the Force be with you, master."

"And with you, my padawan."

Master Kiwiiks left the hanger and I got on board the waiting transport. I was greeted by a friendly face on the ramp.

Captain Travis Jerrly stood at the top of the ramp, scowling, but I could tell the expression was forced. Captain Jerrly had been the commander of several transports I had taken in the past. He had never once looked at me as if I were the enemy. He often seemed to go out of his way to make sure I was respected on his ship and had made a special effort to befriend me during long trips.

"You do know I am holding up a whole shipload of supplies for our good men and women on Hoth because of you." He said, still fighting not to smile.

"Hey, don't blame me. I wasn't flying the transport." I replied. The Captain reached out and took my bag.

"Good thing. You'd probably have crashed it into a moon or some other planetary object." He joked, turned to enter the ship before this smile could come out. I followed, chuckling.

"I'm a Jedi, Captain, not a starpilot. If I were a starpilot, I could fly myself to Hoth and wouldn't need to be carted around by the likes of you."

"You're lucky I put up with you, ya know." He said, turning and smiling at me. His mustache was as bushy as ever, but was now starting to show signs of greying. He was also starting to sport a softer gut and had a few more lines around his eyes. You could tell the years of space travel were starting to age him, but the Captain still looked good for a man in his late forties. When I traveled with him, I liked to image that he was what my father would be like, only less blue with brown eyes instead of red.

"You love me, Cap, you know you do." I said, as we arrived at my cabin. The Captain opened the door for me, allowing me to enter, then followed me in, placing my bag on the bunk.

"Of course I love you, Zan. If you had been born twenty five years earlier and not a Jedi, I'd be all over you." He leaned in closer to me. "Don't tell my wife I said that."

I smiled up at him. The Cap really was a good guy. "Not to worry, your secret is safe with me. Thanks, Cap."

"Anything for you, Darlin. I only have one question for you. Why in the hell are you going to Hoth. You do know it's an ice planet, right? Snow, ice, cold and all that crap. I could think of a hundred better places to visit."

I shrugged. "Master Kiwiiks has a mission on the planet and she asked me along. I'm kinda excited to see Hoth, actually. I've never seen an ice planet before. I'm looking forward to the experience. How long will it take to get there?"

"Two days if we're lucky, three if we're not."

I groaned. I wasn't overly fond of space travel on larger transports. I could handle traveling in the smaller republic passenger ships, but the large bulk cruisers ment for cargo transport seemed to aggravate my stomach. I always seemed to get spacesick on the larger ships.

The Cap patted me on the shoulder knowingly. "You'll get use to the traveling, Master Jedi. I'll see you at six for dinner."

With a final reassuring smile he left me to settle in. Even though I had yet to adapt to space travel, I did enjoy traveling with Captain Jerrly and his crew. They were good people who didn't seem to notice or care about my species. I'd eaten all of my meals with them and I had begun to see them as friends. They made my trip bearable and I found myself looking forward to the days ahead.

* * *

Almost four days later, I exited a shuttle on the surface of the ice planet Hoth. There had been a meteor collision in our path, causing my trip to take longer than expected, but the trip was nice anyway. I even managed to only get minimally spacesick along the way.

At the end of the ramp waited a human male in his late fifties, possibly early sixties, standing at least six feet tall and wearing a cold weather enhanced military uniform. This had to be Colonel Strider Windborne, commander of Aurek base. He stood at full attention, obviously a man proud of his rank, regardless of where he was stationed. He gave me a welcoming smile, warm but not too personal.

"Welcome to Hoth, Master Jedi. I am Colonel Windborne. Am I correct in assuming you are Master Kiwiiks student?"

I chuckled. "Kinda obvious, I know. My name is Zanthia. It's nice to meet you, Colonel."

The Colonel nodded his head, then turned and led me out of the hanger bay. I looked around in wonder. This place was huge and seemed to be made entirely of ice, the metal framework of the structure being almost totally hidden by layers of ice and snow. It was actually fairly beautiful, sparkling when the lights hit the wall just right. I could see my breath as I step in line with the Colonel, having to take two steps for every one of his, to compensate for our difference in height. At only five five, he towered over me easily.

"I wasn't surprised when your Master decided to oversee the excavation of the ship personally. She sounded excited over the holo, it was the most excited I had even seen a Jedi."

I nodded. "Yes, Master Kiwiiks has had a fascination with the Gossamer for years. It's exciting to finally find it, though I hear we might not be the only ones interested."

The Colonel scoffed "That's an understatement. Local scavengers are always trying to raid dig sites for valuables and, unfortunately, we are the only ones interested in this ship's academic value. So far, we've only had a few skirmishes with one of the smaller groups of pirates, but every time we unearth another ship, it always brings out the scavengers. Sometimes even the Empire, though there has been no sign of them yet. We hope to get the ship out of here before they get wind of our discovery. If there is ancient knowledge of the Force onboard, I'd hate to have it fall into Sith hands. In any event, it'll be nice to have a couple of Jedi watching our men's backs. Working on this blasted planet is hard enough without having to constantly look over your shoulder for fear of being shot in the back."

"That is why I'm here. Master Kiwiiks told me to stay on the base and meditate on our mission, if possible, but if there is anything I can do to help you, I am at your disposal. I will not just sit idle if there is something I can do to help."

"Well, I certainly won't turn down the assistance of a Jedi. Let me give you a tour of the facility, then we'll talk about what you can do."

"Sounds like a plan."

"Is this your first time to Hoth?" He asked.

"This is my first time on any ice planet. I can't wait to go outside." I said, perhaps a little too excited.

"Trust me, you do not want to got outside any sooner than you have to. It is a frozen hell out there. It's cold inside, too, but at least we are out of the elements. The wind can be brutal. I can safely say I have lost more men to this planet than to enemy attacks. Between sudden blizzards, subzero temperatures and the local wildlife, this planet posses one hazzard after another."

As we walked around the base, the colonel pointing out various areas, the armory, the mess hall, my sleeping quarters, I noticed that even though I could see my breath, I wasn't actually cold. If anything, the long walk and my double steps to keep up with the colonel were actually keeping me warm. I took a mental note to share my observations when Master Kiwiiks arrived.

"I hear your species is well adapted to the cold."

I nodded. "So I hear. I can't really tell you for sure, since I really have no point of reference on the subject. I've never met another of my kind before."

"Really? So you didn't defect?" He asked, continuing our stroll through the facility, but slowing his pace. I didn't' have to work so hard to keep up.

"No, I was found as an infant by republic troops. I grew up on Coruscant until it was discovered that I was Force sensitive. From about the age of five on, I was raised on Tython. I'm afraid I know about as much about the Chiss as Republic intelligence."

"That explains your lack of an accent." The colonel said as we entered a particularly large and busy area.

"And finally, this is the command center." We approached a younger man, probably near his mid thirties, with a slight build and who only stood a few inches taller than me, though I had to outweigh him by at least ten pounds. He stood at attention upon our approach. "This is my second in command, Captain Lanus Kooper. Captain, this is Zanthia, one of the Jedi here to oversee the excavation of the most recent find out in the graveyard."

The Captain bowed slightly. "It's an honor, Master Jedi."

"How's it look out there, Captain?" The Colonel asked, taking his place at the focal point of the room. I could tell this was the place where he felt the most comfortable.

The Captain turned away from me to one of the many monitors. "Everything's quiet, for the moment, Sir. Beta team had to make an emergency stop on the way to the graveyard on account of a sudden blizzard, but they reported in that everyone has hunkered down to wait it out. They'll only be delayed a half a day or so."

"Excellent. Beta team is on its way to your dig site. The team is mostly backup troops and a handful of excavation experts. They should be able to keep the site secure until you and your Master arrive with Gamma team in a couple of weeks. You'll find nothing happens very quickly on this planet. It takes forever to get anywhere."

"Thank you for the tour, Colonel. I think I will retire to my quarters, for the time being. I wish meditate on what I have learned so far about this place."

"Very good, Master Jedi. I will alert you if anything comes up which requires your assistance. Perhaps later I can arrange a little guided tour outside, if you would like."

"That would be most agreeable. I thank you for your hospitality."

I left the control center, feeling almost comfortable with my surroundings. The Colonel had taken me around the entire base, not just to get me acclimated, but also so more of his men would see me with him. The plan seem to have worked, since I received only polite nods on my way to my quarters, no looks of confusion or fear at my presence.

I found my quarters to be simple, but comfortable, considering the environment. The air temperature was still relatively cold, but I didn't mind. Either my kind had a natural affinity to the cold or my Jedi training had made me particularly adaptive. Probably a little of each.

I sat on my bunk, folding my legs under me and I began to open my senses to my surroundings. The base was humming with life, but as I let my mind wander farther out, I found that the area around the base was just as alive. I could sense many life forms besides those of the republic, mainly larger animals. They all seemed to sense my gentle probe, but didn't seem to mind the intrusion. This made me smile. This was going to be an exciting mission. I could feel it.

* * *

To Be Continued...


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 is up. Enjoy and thanks for reading.

* * *

I had spent the remainder of the day using the Force to familiarize myself with the area. Though, to the naked eye, the planet looked like little more than a frozen wasteland, to a Force user, it was teeming with life. The ecosystem was harsh, but the native inhabitants didn't just survive, but flourished in the environment. It was fascinating.

It wasn't until well into the evening that I realized that I hadn't eaten all day. I had to laugh at myself. This wasn't the first time I had forgotten about my physical needs when connected with the Force around me. Master Kiwiiks had told me once that a powerful Jedi could survive on the Force alone, going into a kind of stasis. I found the concept fascinating and hoped to one day make it to a level where I could try the theory out for myself.

I stood, allowing myself to come back to my physical surroundings before attempting to remember how to get to the mess hall. After only one false turn, I found my way and had seated myself to enjoy my meal, when I was approach by Colonel Windborne and another man I did not know. He looked familiar from my tour, but we had not been introduced. Both men were carrying trays.

"I see we are not the only people around here who seemed to have forgotten to eat. My we join you, Master Jedi?"

I nodded. "Of course, Colonel. And there is no need to address me an Master Jedi, Zanthia will be fine. I am neither a Master or a full Jedi, yet."

"As you like, Zanthia. I never did understand how to address a Jedi properly. To be honest, I have dealt with very few of your order."

I smiled at the two men as they joined me at my table. "I honestly don't know, either. I'm only a padawan. I'm not sure if there is a protocol for such things, but I prefer to be addressed by my name."

"Very well." The Colonel motioned to the man next to him. "This is Lieutenant Harking. He commands one of the security details here on base."

"Nice to meet you, Lieutenant."

"Likewise, Master Jedi….I mean, Zanthia."

"I have asked the Lieutenant if he would take you on a little tour of the outside. After dinner, of course, if you feel up to it. There should be light left for a quick look."

"I would love to. I can't wait to see it. I have spent the last few hours getting to know the Force signature of this planet. Master Kiwiiks told me this planet is a totally different beast than any place I had visited before and it would seem she was right. At least from a Force user perspective. It will be exciting to see what I felt with my own eyes."

Harking shook his head in disbelief, chuckling. "You are the first person I have met who actually wants to go outside. It must be a Jedi thing."

"Actually, it's probably a Jedi Padawan thing. I'm still learning about the Force and I tend to let my excitement over new experiences show more than most Jedi. I've been told by several masters that I can be a tad hyper, on occasion."

"It's not a bad thing." Windborne said. "I wish more of the men had that kind of enthusiasm."

"It's this planet, Sir. Give anyone a few weeks here and they quickly lose whatever optimism they came with. This frozen rock will do it to everyone." Harking said between bites.

Dinner conversation continued as we ate. The Lieutenant, despite constantly joking that Hoth had a way of robbing a person of their will to life, held his own unique energy about his station. He may not have liked his posting very much, but he certainly seemed to thrive on it. I could feel his excitement through his negative talk.

His youth probably helped with his attitude. Harking couldn't be more than twenty five. He had the physique of a career military man who was still in the middle of his prime. It was obvious he worked out and he kept is dark red hair neatly trimmed, even in this place. He was the picture of a model soldier, but his green eyes still held a certain excitement reserved for people who had yet to witness too many of the horrors the universe held.

After dinner, Harking and I both dressed in winter attire and headed outside. I noted the construction of the base was just as impressive on the outside, as on the inside.

The sun was just beginning to set, but there was still light enough to take a look around. The Lieutenant had not been wrong about the outside. For the first time since my arrival, I was genuinely cold. The specially made winter gear helped, but the wind still held a biting cold which seemed to drain away any warmth you brought with you from inside. I found new respect for the native wildlife who survived on this planet with nothing more than what nature granted them on the day of their birth.

We walked around a corner of the base, allowing us a full view of the mountain behind. The sun was just starting to dip below the peak, giving the ice and snow on the mountain a almost rainbow effect. The colors danced in a way I had never seen on any other planet. It was stunning.

"Now that sight is worth enduring a little cold." I said outloud.

Harking stood next to me. "Is that a Jedi talking?"

I smiled at the comment, even though he could not see it through my face mask. "No, it's purely the comment of a living person with eyes. Every planet has it's own beauty. Even Hoth."

We stood and watched the sun descend below the mountain, taking with it most of the light.

"We should probably go back in, so they can lock down the facility for the night."

I nodded, turning my back to the mountain as the last bit of sun dipped below the tallest peak. We began to trudge back but the beeping of the Lieutenant's holo stopped us in our tracks. He pulled the device out and it came to life, sending an eerie glow on the surrounding snow.

"Lieutenant, are you back inside?" Windborne asked.

"On our way, Sir. Is there trouble?"

"Report to the control center when you get back in here and bring the Jedi with you. We have a situation developing."

"Yes, Sir." Harking replied, turning off the holo.

We took a more hurried pace back to the base and didn't bother to remove too many of our layers before reporting to the Colonel. I had a feeling we were going to need them again very soon anyway.

In the control room, Captain Kooper was feverishly working at one of the console, while the colonel stood about a foot behind him, his arms held behind his back in a very command posture.

"What do we got, Sir?" Harking asked.

"Good, you're here. It looks like The our Beta team is being attacked by unknown assailants. Dr. Yucca holoed a few minutes ago with a distress call. He seemed to think they could hold them off for a little while, but we can't wait until morning to send aid. I've already scrambled your men, Lieutenant. Go out there and save our team. If you could go with them, Zanthia. Hopefully the sight of a lightsaber will deter them from pressing their attack."

"It will take about an hour and a half to get there, if you push your bikes to their limit." Kooper added, not looking up from his console. "But be careful. You'll be running right into the last remnants of the blizzard the team encountered."

"You got it, Sir." Harking replied.

We took off at a run and once again headed outside, only stopping long enough to grab a few more articles of wind resistant gear. On the way, I went over a few Force calming techniques, centering myself the best I could. I needed to stay focused. This could turn out to be my first true battle and I didn't want to let down either myself or the men who were counting on me to be the Jedi they all believed I was.

We arrived at the bike pad to find just over a dozen men, all suited up and ready to depart. There were two bikes in the front, but Harking turned to me before we could mount up.

"You do know how to ride one of these things, right?" He asked.

The bikes were the same as the ones we used on Tython to travel between the various training locations, except these had been retrofitted to operate in the colder temperatures.

"I do, quite well." I replied, getting on the bike. I began to warm up the engine, looking up to find Harking giving me a very satisfied look.

He spoke up to address everyone. "Listen up, people. We will be riding right into a snow storm. Keep five feet and only five feet between yourself and the bike in front of you. Keep formation and pay special attention to those around you. Without daylight, we'll need to rely on each other to keep together and on target. Once we arrive, I want you to fan out and try to flank the enemy. Master Jedi, you will follow me into the center of the camp, understood?"

"Not a problem." I replied.

Everyone mounted their bikes and the outside was now a sea of sounds. It was almost deafening. Harking waved his arm over his head and yelled.

"Move out!"

As one, we headed out into the night.

It had been cold standing outside in the wind, but standing in it felt like a summer day compared to riding a speederbike at high velocity against the same bitter wind. The extra clothing did little to lessen the bone chilling effects of the cold.

I focused on staying in formation with Harking, who was just slightly up and to the left of me. He was pushing his speeder well beyond the limits the Captain had made reference to in the control room. I used the force to help make sure we weren't heading towards any steep cliffs or valleys, but I mostly used my power to keep my own bike in place, trusting Harking to take the lead.

About a half hour into the trip, we ran into the blizzard. Our visibility was brought down to almost zero, making it a challenge to stay in formation. I stopped trying to see the path ahead of me and started to ready myself for battle. I allowed the Force to wash over me, allowing my muscles to remain warm and relaxed, so when I did get off my speeder, I'd be able to take up a battle stance if necessary.

After another half hour or so, we came to a stop. Before us was a brilliant exchange of blaster fire. We could just make out the lights of the makeshift shelter the team had erected to wait out the blizzard. Harking waved his arm and his team began to break off into groups in an attempt to flank the enemy.

I reached out with the Force, allowing myself to feel the lifeforms attacking. They had formed a semicircle around the camp, since the shelter had been built at the side of a larger ice hill.

Harking looked to me.

"Stay close to me, Lieutenant. I'll try to block as many incoming blaster bolts as I can."

He nodded and we pressed forward, as fast as we dared. As soon as our approach was witnessed by the enemy, we began to take fire. Fortunately, there were only a handful of people shooting in our direction, Three at most, so I was able to keep us safe until we made it behind the blockage.

We got off our bikes and hurried towards the men shooting over the barricade. I could tell that Harking was stiff from the breakneck speeder ride, but I was happy to find that my Force exercises had left my muscles loose and ready to fight.

One of the soldiers approached us and saluted Harking. "Take goodness you made it, Sir. They've been firing on us for almost three hours now, without letting up. We can't tell who they are or how many of them are out there, but they're well armed."

I closed my eyes and opened my senses to the attackers around us. "There are a dozen of them. Three on each side, with six concentrated in the middle. They seem to be slowly pushing in toward the middle of the shelter."

"That would make sense. Most of our more valuable equipment is in the center of the camp." I opened my eyes to see we had been joined by a Mon Calamari who was dressed like a civilian.

"Dr. Yucca, I presume." Harking replied.

"Indeed. I hope you have a plan to end this onslaught."

"My men are circling around the enemy as we speak."

I walked up next to them, clearing my throat. "I have an idea."

"Go ahead, Master Jedi." Harking replied, calling my by the more formal title.

"Let me go up front in the middle where most of the men are focused. I'll rebound a few of their blaster shots back at them. See if I can push them back."

Harking nodded, but I could see the concern in his eyes. "Do it, but be careful. We won't be able to cover you much."

"Understood." I pulled out my lightsaber and made my way around the outside of the barricade, so I was standing in front of it. The blaster bolts started almost immediately and I repelled them, this time trying to aim them back at their origin. I silently thanked Master Kiwix for all the tedious hours of training with a little remote probe, which simulated the situation I was currently in. Repelling blaster bolts was something most Jedi needed a lightsaber to do, but I had a talent for repelling them with my mind and the Force alone, though it was still easier with a lightsaber.

Once I made it firmly to the center of the barricade, I ignited my lightsaber, it's azure blade sending blinding light in all directions. The new light didn't break my concentration, since I was currently seeing with the Force, not my eyes. My attackers, on the other hand, were disrupted by the appearance of a lightsaber. Their bolts became sporadic, then ceased entirely.

I could sense the attackers turn tail and run towards speeder a short distance away. I could also feel Harking's men as they took out all of the attackers on either side of me. Soon, the battle was over.

* * *

To Be Continued...


	5. Chapter 5

Thanks for reading. New chapter is up. Enjoy.

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Once all the attackers had been killed or had fled, I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. I used the Force to center myself, calming my nerves. I left my lightsaber ignited, so my position could be easily seen as I made my way back behind the barricade. Harking was nodding approvingly.

"Nice work, Zanthia. Well handled."

"Thanks. I may be a novice, but one of the first things a Jedi master teaches a student is how to repel blaster fire." I shut down my weapon, allowing myself to relax slightly.

One of Harking's men came into the shelter, out of breath. "Looks like they were White Maw, Sir. Not many of them. Just a standard raiding party. Only a few got away, but they managed to totally destroy the proximity sensors."

"It's too late to fix the sensors tonight. Tell the men to form a perimeter within the shelter and to hunker down. We can't guarantee they won't try again. It's gonna be a long night." Harking ordered.

"I'll keep my mind open three hundred and sixty degrees around the camp. Nothing living will get close to us without me knowing it." I said, opening my mind to the Force around us. "Fortunately, all the blaster fire has scared off the local wildlife. There's not much out there right now to distract me."

I found myself a quiet corner of the camp and allowed myself to slip into a meditative state. I focused all of my power out and round.

XXXX

It was a long, but quiet night. There were no further assaults on the camp, and by dawn, we were packed up and on the move towards the graveyard. It was decided that Harking, his men and myself would continue to accompany the team onward and Master Kiwiiks would accompany the last team, when she arrived.

I rode my speeder, but the pace was much slower this time. I could enjoy the scenery around me far better in the daylight and by the time we stopped for a midday break, I was actually starting to enjoy myself.

I sat on the top of a snowy hill, eating a protein bar and watching a herd of tauntauns grazing off in the distance. After almost a half hour, I was joined by Dr. Yucca, the Mon Calamari I had met the night before, who was the lead scientist on the second excavation team.

"May I join you?" He asked, waiting until I had nodded my head to sit next to me.

"You are the student of Bela Kiwiiks, correct?" He asked, folding his fin like hands over his knees.

"I am. Do you know my Master?" I asked.

Yucca nodded. "I do indeed. I have worked with her on several occasions, before she became a member of the Jedi council. She always had the most curious mind. I could see her teachings in how you handled the situation last night. Was that your first hostile engagement?"

I laughed. "Was I that obvious?" I honestly thought that I had done well controlling my fears during the fighting.

"No. It was just a lucky guess based on your age. You did very well. Master Kiwiiks will be proud of you when she arrives."

I sighed and leaned back onto my elbows. "On Tython they train us to use weapons and to know battle techniques and strategies, but there really is no training that can totally prepare you to see real combat situations. All you can hope for is that you retain enough of your lessons to be useful. I think for the first time I truly understand what Master Kiwiiks meant when she told me to trust in the Force."

"I think this is the part of your training where it can be said that your true lessons are about to begin."

I turned to Dr. Yucca. "Are you sure you're not a Jedi?"

The doctor chuckled, the sound coming out as a gurgle. "I am not a Jedi, but I have worked with enough of your order to have picked up a few things, here and there."

I stood up, brushing the snow off of my pants. "Well then, I look forward to learning from you."

"And I, you, my young friend."

We made our way back to our party and the caravan continued on. As we traveled, I began to not mind the cold so much. It was probably because I was focusing all my powers on detecting any hostiles in our path. It was exhausting work, but I wasn't going to allow this caravan to fall victim to another surprise attack.

By the end of the day, I was completely exhausted. I hadn't slept since I had arrived on Hoth and I had been using my connection with the Force more than I had ever used it since learning I was Force sensitive.

I was just closing down my speeder for the night when I was surprised by Harking, who placed a hand on my shoulder, causing me to jump. I was focusing so much on the surrounding area, I was paying almost no attention to the camp itself.

"Little jumpy, aren't we. When was the last time you slept?" He asked. I could feel his concern.

"Couple of days."

Harking crossed his arms over his chest and sighed deeply. "You Jedi. You may be all mystical and everything, but you do need to sleep, too. You've more than done your part in protecting the camp. The proximity sensors are up and fully manned. You can take a break for a few hours. Get a bite to eat and get some rest. If we do get attacked in the night, you'll be no good to us half asleep."

"You're right." I replied, rubbing the spot between my eyes where my head was beginning to throb from concentrating so hard for so long. Harking's eyes widened.

"You're admitting I'm right! Color me surprised."

I frowned at him. "You've only known me for what, a day. You haven't known me long enough to know my mannerisms and habits. For all you know, I'm the most cooperative person in the universe."

Harking chuckled in amusement. "You're right. It's just been my experience that most Jedi are stubborn. They like to take control of everything."

"Well, I am not most Jedi. I have no desire to be in control. You can control me all you want."

Harking's eyes really opened wide this time.

"That came out wrong. You know what I meant." I was fortunate that blushes didn't show well with my dark blue skin. "Will you just go away so I can get some rest?"

"Sleep well, Master Jedi." He said, giving me a almost wicked smile as he turned to leave.

I rolled my eyes and headed to a tent set up in the middle of the camp. I found a nice cot in the back of the tent and fell asleep almost immediately.

* * *

To Be Continued...


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6 is up. Sorry this took so long. I'll try to do better. Hope you enjoy.

* * *

It was still dark when I woke up. I had slept extremely soundly and found that I wasn't even the slightest bit groggy as I got myself to a seated position. There were several other members if our group sleeping around me, so I crept out of the tent as quietly as I could manage. Fortunately, I had always had very good night vision, so I was able to exit the tent without disturbing anyone.

The night sky was already starting to lighten with the dawn. In another thirty minutes or so, it would be morning. I hadn't actually meant to sleep the entire night, but since I hadn't woken up once during my slumber, I figured I must have needed the rest.

The wind was fairly light, which made the temperature outside seem just a tad warmer. I made my way to the makeshift mess hall, determined to find something to drink. Standing outside the tent was Harking, sipping some type of hot beverage. It made me wonder if he had gotten any rest at all during the night.

"Well, well, well, look who finally decided to wake up. You must have slept like a rock." He said when he noticed my approach.

"Yeah, I think I might have overexerted myself over the last two days. I didn't wake up once last night."

"Well, you needed the rest. I was beginning to worry about you."

I couldn't help but smile at the man. "I appreciate your concern, Lieutenant. The next time you see me overdoing it, throw a rock at me or something. I'm obviously a poor judge of my own limits."

"I'll do that, though isn't it bad luck to throw a rock at a Jedi? Not to mention it's definitely bad manners to throw a rock at a beautiful woman." He joked. "And please, call me Sarin. There's no need to be so formal with each other."

I hadn't realized it until that moment, but this was the first time anyone had used Harking's first name. The colonel had simply introduced him by his rank and I hadn't thought to inquire further. It was then that I realized something else. I was almost positive that Sarin was flirting with me. I didn't know if he understood that Jedi weren't allowed to have romantic attachment, but then it wasn't entirely common knowledge around non Jedi.

Suddenly, my throat was very dry and I desperately needed that drink I had originally been searching for.

"I'll remember that. Excuse me, I really need a drink. I'll talk to you later."

I slipped into the tent and the Lieutenant turned to watch me enter. The place was almost totally deserted.

"Oh, I almost forgot to ask. In about a half hour or so, a couple of my boys will be going out to take down the proximity sensors, so we can get moving as early as possible. You seem to enjoy the scenery around here, if you wanted to tag along?"

By that time, I had found and had managed to get down several large swallows of some type of hot tea. I had also been able to compose myself from our earlier conversation.

"Sure, I'd love to."

"Great, I'll let Wilkins and Tao know to wait for you before heading out. Just go over to the west side of the camp when you're ready."

I nodded in reply, drinking more of my tea. Harking left the tent and I was able to breath. I took a seat, try my best to at least look comfortable. I honestly had no idea how to deal with being an object of flirtation. It happened occasionally on Tython, but all of us padawans were too hyper aware of being caught by our masters to flirt for long. Here, in the real world, with no master around to catch me, I was at a loss even as to how I should have responded. Should I have informed him of our rules or simply took the attention as a compliment and moved on. I just didn't' know. He was an attractive man. Jedi or not, I still had eyes.

I pushed my thoughts aside as I finished my tea and headed to the western side of the camp, where I found two of Harking's men milling about. They had to be Wilkins and Tao. They were both tall men, but one of them was a human with olive skin, dark hair and almond shaped eyes, while the second man was Mirialan, with dark green skin, pale blue eyes and several black diamond shaped tattoos which ran down both of his cheeks and up his forehead.

"Good Morning, Master Jedi. You didn't' need to rush on our account." replied the human.

"I'm fine. I'm looking forward to the walk."

The Mirialan laughed. "The lieutenant said you were probably the only person on this planet who is enjoying being here."

I shrugged. "I'm making the best of a complicated situation. Kill me for being an optimist."

"I don't mind. It's nice to have someone around that's in a good mood, for a change. Shall we get going?" said the human, whose uniform read Tao, meaning the Mirialan was Wilkins.

"Ready when you boys are."

We adjusted our gear and headed out. I made sure my lightsaber was still firmly affixed to my belt. I was beginning to feel naked without it and I had learned that around here, it was best to stay armed at all times.

There were four total sensors, forming a full rectangle around the camp. The technology was well adapted to the cold and they functioned well, even during a storm. If even one of the sensors when out or the line between them broken in any way, an alarm was triggered in the camp. They were simple, but highly effective, technology. I silently observed while the men took down the equipment, allowing my senses to flow outward. Not terribly far, but far enough to make sure no one snuck up on us while we worked. Not that anyone could sneak up on an someone on an open ice plain.

It took the better part of an hour, but we had three of the sensors packed up and were just approaching the fourth. I was enjoying the morning air and the white/blue calm of the planet. We had nearly reached the sensor when I felt several humanoid presences around us. They were fairly far off, but they were definitely surrounding us and closing in fast. However, I could not see them.

"Wait. I feel someone." I said, halting the men. "Several someones."

The soldiers pulled out their weapons and started looking in all directions.

"I don't see anyone." The Tao said, continuing to look around.

I was confused. I could feel them. Six lifeforms creeping closer and closer to our position. Suddenly, a man wearing some type of cloaking device appear only a foot away from me. He was dressed all in white and it took me a few moments to realized I was looking into glowing red eyes.

The next moment, five more men, all with red eyes, appeared around us, weapons pointed. We were surrounded. By Chiss. I couldn't see much of their skin, but I knew their eyes. They were my eyes.

I pulled out my lightsaber and ignited it. The action obviously startled one of the men, who inadvertently sent a bolt flying our way from the side. With one smooth motion, I sent the bolt back at its owner, impacting him on the shoulder.

"Stop firing!" Shouted one of the men. "We need her alive."

I took a fighting stance and centered myself. They had made a mistake by stating that they wanted me alive. This meant that I needed to put myself between them and the two men with me. If they only cared about me, they could kill the others without a second thought. I decided to take a chance and hoped that the two soldiers at my back would follow my lead.

I took a deep breath and slashed out with my lightsaber. The two men in front of me easily dodged my attack, but they did what I had hoped they would do, they both jumped to either side, giving me an opening facing our camp. I whipped around and my soldiers, who had fortunately been thinking the same thing I had been, rotated with me, causing all six attackers to be positioned in front of us, with our camp to our back.

My plan had worked and I now had a better defensive position. "Alert the camp. I'll hold them off." I stated calmly. My heart was pounding, but I was impressed that my voice came out firm and steady. Wilkins and Tao hesitated for a few moments. I was afraid they wouldn't want to leave me behind. "Go!" This time my voice was a little less stable.

The soldiers got my meaning and began to back up quickly. The Chiss to my right started to point his weapon in their direction and I threw my lightsaber at him, guiding it with the Force to slice the blaster is two. My lightsaber returned to my hand and I prepared to send it out again if they made another move.

To my surprise, the attackers didn't attempt to fire at the fleeing soldiers again. Their attention was now firmly on me, which meant that I had to hold off six armed men, who were too spread out for me to defend against effectively. I had thought it would only be five, with my destruction of the one blaster, but to my disappointment, the unarmed man pull out a smaller spare weapon out of his coat.

On my left side, I heard one of the Chiss saying something in a language I didn't know, then, in accented basic, said. "We don't have time for this." He pointed his weapon at me and as I prepared to defend against the shot, I felt a second shot hit me on the left side of my back. I remembered shooting pain, then nothing.

* * *

To Be Continued...


	7. Chapter 7

Finally an update. Enjoy!

* * *

I woke up, cursing whatever deity created life. My back was on fire, but rest of my body was freezing and for the life of me, I couldn't convince my eyes it was okay for them to open. For a few moment, I completely forgot I was a Jedi. I was terrified and had no idea what to do.

I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. Taking a deep breath through my nose, I willed its pace slower and it responded. I remembered the calming technique I often used before stepping into a room of strangers and began to run through it. I had done it so many time, I didn't need to think about it, just feel as the Force evened me out.

Once I had gotten control of myself, I began feeling out my surroundings with the Force. It was then I realized I wasn't alone. Wherever I was, there was another lifeform with me.

I finally managed to open my eyes, making sure to open them in the direction of the other lifeform. I was most definitely a prisoner and most likely had been relieved of my lightsaber, but I was prepared to defend myself with the Force, if I had to. Propelling objects using the Force wasn't one of my strengths, but I could do it.

Standing before me, leaning against the wall was a single male Chiss. His skin was a darker shade of blue than my own, but his eyes were the same. He was wearing some type of military uniform, though it was unlike any Imperial attire I had ever seen in pictures, having never seen an Imperial live and in person, until now. He had to be Imperial. He was too formal looking not to be. I was happy to discover I wasn't being restrained and struggled to pull myself into a seated position. My back burned and protested the movement.

"Nice to see you finally regain consciousness. I was being to worry my men had hurt you worse than I had thought." His voice was smooth and calm, having an Imperial accent, but also containing a hint of an accent I could not place.

"Where am I?" I asked, once achieving my hard fought seated position.

"You are in a facility call Zero Station." He said, still watching me closely. He wasn't angry or fearful, simply calm. Almost Jedi calm.

"Imperial." I said. It wasn't a question.

"On the contrary, this is a Chiss Ascendancy facility. Every soul living and working here is Chiss. True, we do support the Empire's operations on Hoth on occasion, but even they do not know where this facility is located."

"You still sound Imperial to me." I said. The pain in my back was making it hard to think. I needed to remain calm.

"Indeed I do, but I feel compelled to point out that you do not." This fact seemed to surprise him, like we was expecting me to be Imperial. Whatever this man's game, I figured I could speak about myself without letting slip any useful Republic information. There would be plenty of time during the interrogation for important information.

"That is because I'm not Imperial. I was raised on Coruscant."

This information really seemed to surprise my capture. I had thrown him a curveball and it took several moments for him to reply.

"Really? So you are not a defection." He said to himself.

"No, I am not a defection. Unless you think an infant less than a year old can defect." My words sounded snarky, even to me as I said them. I really didn't care. If this man wanted me dead, I'd be dead. I was unarmed and even with the Force as my ally, I couldn't hope to defend myself for long. Not to mention I was injured.

"Most interesting. And can I assume you are also a Force user, judging by your weapon of choice and your skill with using it. My men told me you threw it away and called it right back to your hand."

I nodded. "I am." I didn't bother to point out that I was only a padawan. He didn't' need to know of my limited experience. It was better if he thought a fully trained Jedi sat before him. If he had any fear of Force users, I couldn't detect it. He was still unbelievably calm.

"I'm not sure if you are aware of this, but Force sensitivity is a rare trait in our kind. I can think of only two in the last couple of centuries of written record, you making three."

"I wasn't aware. I had my suspicions but I was never able to confirm them." I couldn't stop the small smile that formed on my face at the information. This man had just answered a question I had wondered about most of my life. And he wasn't deceiving me, either.

The man stood up straight, no longer leaning against the wall. "Then am I correct in assuming, considering where you grew up, that your knowledge of our species is fairly limited? You act as though you've never seen or spoken to another of your own kind before."

I took a deep breath, trying to ignore the increasingly distracting pain radiating from my back. "Until I saw your men and spoke to you, I had not." I took another breath, letting it out shakily. "Speaking of your men, did they kill the two soldiers who were with me when I was captured?"

"No, once you were secured, your men were of no consequence, so they were allowed to return to their camp."

I nodded, relieved. It was a small consolation for being shot in the back, but at least there was one.

The man sighed loudly, acting like he wanted to continue our conversation, but realizing he had something more important to do. "You are in pain. Will you allow one of my doctors to come in and treat your wound?"

I nodded.

"I feel I must apologize to you. I told my men to bring you in alive. I'm afraid I choose relatively young, inexperienced soldiers to apprehend you. None of us realize you were a Jedi and I believe they may have panicked. It was not my intention for you to be harmed. We thought we were capturing an Imperial defector."

"What was your intention?" I asked.

"We will speak again later. First I will call in my doctor. Perhaps bring you something to eat." He turned, but turned back quickly. "And I feel I must point out to you, there is no point in trying to escape. This facility is in the middle of nowhere, on a planet with one of the most deadly environments you will ever find. Leave here on foot, or by speeder, and you will freeze to death before you find civilization, even if you knew which direction to travel in."

Without another word, the man turned sharply and left.

I sat alone in the room, taking in my surroundings. This was most definitely a prison cell. The only furniture was the cot I sat on. It was as if when they learned they had captured a Force user, they removed everything in the room they could, allowing me nothing I could easily use as a weapon. It didn't matter anyway, the man was right. I couldn't escape. Even if I did make it out of this cell, most of my heavy outerwear had been removed. I would freeze to death before getting anywhere.

I looked up when I heard the lock on my door click open and the force field deactivate. A Chiss woman came in and gave me a friendly, if not totally comfortable, smile. She was a pale, practically pastel blue, with dark blue hair wrapped into a messy bun on the back of her head. She wore what was obviously the clothes of a doctor.

"I was sent to treat your wound. May I..." She seemed to nod in my direction, asking permission to approach. Unlike the man before her, this woman was afraid of me.

I nodded. "Please." I removed the jacket I was wearing and helped lift my shirt up enough to expose the blaster wound.

The woman almost growled. "I don't see why the idiots had to shoot you, even if you are a Force user." Her head tilted to face me. "Are you? A Force user, I mean?"

I looked over at the far side of the room, creating a small snowball from the frozen wall. Once formed I gently lobbed it at the ground near the woman's feet.

She smiled at the display. "I'll take that as a yes. So, if you wanted to, you could probably kill me, right here where I stand."

I thought about it for a minute, then nodded. "Probably, but I wouldn't. It's not our way."

"I'm happy to hear that." She said, sounding relieved. "How does your back feel now?"

I was unable to prevent the audible sigh of relief which escaped my lips. The pain was gone. If I didn't think she would panic, I'd have hugged her. "Much better."

She lowered my shirt and helped me put on the jacket. "You'll need two or three more treatments before the wound is totally healed, but you should feel less pain the next time the painkillers wear off."

I wave of exhaustion hit me, either from the painkillers or the sudden relief of pain, probably a little of both. I was barely able to stay seated. The doctor saw my sudden fatigue and helped my lay back down. She even wrapped several blankets around me.

"Get some rest. I'll be back later to check on you."

She turned to leave, but I called out to her, making her turn back.

"Hey doc? Thank you."

She smiled at me. It was a truly genuine smile. "You're most welcome."

I barely managed to watch her leave, before falling asleep.

* * *

To Be Continued...


	8. Chapter 8

Here's a long chapter for you. Enjoy.

* * *

I was considerably groggy when I awoke after being treated by the doctor. I had the terrible feeling I had been drugged. There were Force techniques to ride drugs from the system and I was doing my best to remember how to apply them. I had been taught about them, but had yet to practice their application in real life.

I got an odd sense of deja vu as I sat up to find the man I had met earlier in the room with me once again. This time, however, we was seated in one of two chairs around a small table a few feet away. I looked around and to my surprise, I found I was in a totally different room. This room looked more like a soldier's quarters than a prison. Along with the cot, the room had a small table with two chairs and a set of empty shelves to one side. There was even a small photograph hanging on the far wall, along side what was obviously an intercom. This room was set up for guests, not prisoners.

"I feel I must apologize to you again. You mustn't blame the doctor for drugging you. After our last talk, I decided to have you moved to a different room and I figured it would go smoother if you were unconscious for the trip. I don't make a practice of drugging my guests."

The man was once again dressing in the same uniform as the previous time we had spoke and he emitted the same calm exterior. This time, however, he seemed happier. He was almost excited.

"So, I'm a guest now? Not a prisoner?" I asked. I rolled my neck in a circle a few times. I didn't like the feeling of being drugged. I'd have to remember to practice the drug removal technique with Master Kiwiiks, if I ever saw her again.

"Indeed. When my scouts first reported seeing you with the Republic troops, I thought you were a defection from the Empire. We have an arrangement with them to return any traitors, you see. The idea of turning over one of our own to the Empire wasn't overly appealing to me, but I have found I often have to make difficult decisions as a leader. Anyway, since it's more/less confirmed that you are not a traitor to the Empire, as I had first believed, I see no reason to treat you as one. True, you serve the Republic, but I can hardly hold that against you, since you were raised amongst them."

This was an odd turn of events.

"I seem to remember you leaving a question of mine unanswered, before you had me drugged."

"Ah, yes, my intentions. Well, you see, that has become a complicated question." There was a knock on the door and a man came in carrying a tray. He placed it on the table, then bowed and left the room. "Please, come eat something, unless it bothers you to eat and talk at the same time."

Between the pain in my back, which was thankfully almost non existent now, and being drugged, I hadn't even thought about being hungry since my capture. It had been at least a day, probably longer, since I had eaten. I didn't feel much like eating, but know better than to turn down food. I needed to keep my strength up.

I carefully took a seat opposite my capture and took the top off the tray. The tray contained a large bowl of a thick stew and a mug of some type of steaming liquid. There was no way to tell if the food was drugged or poisoned, but since it had already been proven that I could be drugged at any point anyway, my captures had no need to be covert.

I tasted the stew carefully. It tasted like nothing I had ever eaten before. The spices used were obviously of an exotic variety, but were quite delicious.

The man smiled at me, seemingly waiting to confirm that my meal was adequate before continuing to talk.

"What I was saying, before the interruption, was that this situation I find myself in with you is quite complicated. As a part of our alliance with the Empire, the Ascendancy has agreed to hand over any captured Jedi or Force users to the Sith. We also allow the Empire to take over the interrogation of Republic captives. Now, you are both a servant of the Republic and a Jedi, so common sense dictates that I must turn you over to Empire. You being a daughter of the Ascendancy, even a lost one, complicates things."

The man stood, pacing around the room as he continued to speak. I didn't feel the need to interrupt, simply continued to eat.

"You see, though we're an ally to the Empire, we are loyal members of the Ascendancy first. I'm compelled to treat you as a lost soul to the Chiss, before an enemy of the Empire, or even a Jedi. But then again, I can't simply let you go and send you on your way. You see my dilemma?"

I did see it. Even though I was obviously an enemy to his allies, he also saw me as one of his own. He didn't wish to turn me over to the Empire, where I would no doubt be tortured, interrogated, brainwashed or possibly killed, but he couldn't release me either. I knew too much and he had no guarantee I wouldn't share what I knew with the Republic.

"I've thought on this for many hours and I've come to an arrangement that will get me out of this unfortunate situation I have found myself in and quite possibly benefit you greatly as well."

"I'm listening." I said, leaning back in my chair. I had finished the stew and now hand my hands wrapped around the hot mug of liquid, which turned out to be some form of tea, though it, like the stew, was unfamiliar to me.

"Stay here with us, for a while at least. You must have so many questions about our kind. Where we came from. I'm offering this to you."

"And what information do you require in exchange?" I asked.

The man sat back down, folding his hand together on the table. "Nothing. As I stated before, you're not my prisoner, you're my guest. I don't wish to learn any Republic secrets from you. I only wish to share the knowledge of our people. It's not your fault you were removed from the Ascendancy at such a young age. I'm offering to pull you into the fold. You do not need to join us, merely take some time to learn about us."

"Will I be able to leave?"

He smiled at me. "Eventually, yes, I believe we'll be able to release you."

"But you have no way of knowing that I won't spill everything I learn here to your enemies."

He nodded. "This is true. There will be a certain amount of trust involved with this arrangement, from both sides. You must trust that what you learn is the truth and I must trust that you will eventually decide not to share what you learned. There is risk involved, yes, but I'm willing to take that risk, if you are."

I took a sip of my tea, thinking. My incarceration had taken an interesting turn. Instead of pain, I was being offered knowledge. True, I couldn't be positive I would be told the truth or that there would not be a hidden catch somewhere down the line. This man had yet to deceive me. He did have me drugged, but he really hadn't lied to me. As far a I could tell, he was risking far more than I.

As a Jedi, one of my main goals in life was the procurement of knowledge. I had just been offered an opportunity I didn't think I could pass up. There were so many questions I longed to know the answers to and until this moment, I had pretty much given up hope of ever learning them. Risk or not, I had to try.

"I agree to your proposal." I said.

"Excellent!" He said, obviously pleased by my decision. "A promise of knowledge is a hard thing to turn down. I guarantee, you will not regret your decision." He leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest.

"If it is agreeable to you, I think we should begin immediately. I think I'll start with some common knowledge."

He paused, seemingly to put this thoughts in order. I waited patiently. I had nothing but time, after all.

"Alright, the obvious. As you probably learned first hand, Chiss children are physically full grown at around ten standard years of age. Between the ages of ten and twelve they go through a phase similar to adolescence, and by the time they reach fifteen, they are fully integrated into adult Chiss society. Our skin color can range from dark blue, like myself, to the pastel blue of Dr. Yonca, who you met yesterday, to almost a silver, but they're all exclusively shades of blue. The color you're born with as no relationship to the color of your parents. For example, two dark skinned parents could have a light skinned child. Our society holds no prejudice in skin color, or much else for the matter. Our eyes are always red, though the intensity of their glow changes depending on the levels of oxygen in the atmosphere. We also have exceptional night vision."

I was surprised. I had never thought to observe the intensity of my own eyes while on different planets and no one ever commented on it before. I often forgot my eyes glowed.

"As a species, we have extremely robust metabolisms, which almost eliminate the possibility of obesity and we have considerably dense muscles, which make us quite strong. Our average life expectancy is is about eighty years or so, but with medical practices improving, that number is increasing. Some can live to be over one hundred these days. Our society and government is quite complex and would take hours to explain, but the key bit is that we have several noble families, which tend to run much of our government. Though we're allies to the Empire, we do not serve them. Some Chiss choose to join Imperial intelligence or the Imperial military, but only a few have ever earned rank, since the Empire doesn't necessarily open their arms to non humans. Those of us who work closely with the Empire carry imperial accents, but I'm sure you noticed a slight variation from the norm."

"Yes, actually. It was one of the first things that ran through my mind when I heard your people speak. I thought they were Imperial by the accent, but there was something different about it."

"Well, that's the natural accent our people get from speaking our native language. The syntax of it is quite complicated and speaking it fluently causes our basic to come out accented. The more we speak our native tongue, the heavier the accent." He paused and almost seemed to curse himself. "Here I am talking about language and accents and I haven't even had the common courtesy to introduce myself. I must apologize once again, this time for being so rude. I am Aristocra Saganu. Saganu being my name and Aristocra being my rank. I'm the commander of this facility." He gave me a slight bow.

"My name is Zanthia." I said simply, having no title or rank to my name, at least not yet.

"Zanthia? That doesn't sound like a human name."

"The soldier who found me as an infant was a Zabrak. He called me Zanthia and it just sorta stuck."

"Well, I think it's a beautiful name and I'm very happy to formally meet you, Zanthia." He took my hand, and gently kissed it.

I had the feeling that I was slipping into an intimate moment and I, once again, had no idea how to respond. Fortunately, Saganu continued on without missing a step. If he sensed my uncomfortableness, he didn't acknowledge it.

"That is pretty much the basics that all Chiss should know by the time they reach adulthood, though I'm sure I missed something."

I was blown away. "Well, if it makes you feel better, you just taught me more about myself in ten minutes than I have learned over the whole twenty years of my life."

"And this is just the beginning." He handed me a datapad. "This is a more in depth detailing of our society. I compiled it from various texts. I think you'll find it interesting."

I took the pad, but something serious crossed my mind.

"Since you've been very forthcoming, I feel I must do the same."

Saganu looked concerned, but waited patiently for me to continue.

"Technically, I'm not a Jedi, at least not yet. I'm what is known as a Padawan. I'm a student, a learner. I've been training to become a Jedi since I was five, but I am not a full Jedi yet. That being said, the reason I'm on this planet is because my Master has a mission here and I was to assist her on it. I arrived before her and she was to join me in a week or two. I'm sure the news of my abduction has already reached her, since you said you left the two men with me alive to return to our camp. A Jedi master and her padawan share a very strong bond. When she arrives on Hoth, she will be able to track me down."

I was over exaggerating the tracking ability of a Jedi master and their padawan. I didn't think Master Kiwiiks could pinpoint my location using the Force alone, but I couldn't confirm that she couldn't either. She would know I was alive and on the planet and that would be all she would need to know to begin a search. I didn't want an army of Republic troopers and Jedi to bombard this facility, just to rescue a guest who might not necessarily want to be rescued.

Saganu continued to look concerned. "Can you tell if you master is on Hoth?" he asked.

"She's not here, yet. I can feel her presence, but it's still very far away."

"And since you can feel her, I'm guessing she can feel you?"

I nodded. "She probably felt my pain when I was shot, but she definitely knows I'm still alive."

"This changes things. I might need to accelerate the timetable on what I planned to teach you. I plan to return you to your people long before they try to find you. I will not risk the safety of this facility or of my people."

"I don't wish you to risk anyone's safety. It's the reason I told you about my link with my master."

"I seems you're taking our attempt at trusting each other as seriously as I am. I do thank you for your honesty. I will leave you to read, since I now have much to plan. Dr. Yonca will be in shortly to continue the treatment of your back. If you need anything, please feel free to use the intercom. As I said before, you are not a prisoner. We will accommodate your needs as best we can."

"Thank you." I said. It felt like the very least I could say. Saganu bowed once again, then left me alone. I settle in on my cot to read the datapad he had provided me, eager to learn more.

* * *

To Be Continued...


	9. Chapter 9

Finally taking the time to update. Thanks for reading.

* * *

The next few days provided me with a constant stream of information. Saganu seemed to enjoy teaching me as much as I enjoyed learning, though he was also enjoying my company. He spent most of his days in my room, simply talking with me about any Chiss related topic he could think of. True to his word, he didn't ask any questions about the Republic or the Jedi.

I continued to monitor Master Kiwiiks presence and it's proximity to Hoth. I knew I'd be able to tell when she arrived on the planet. The more I learned about Zero Station and the Chiss living in it, the less I wanted it to be found by the Republic.

Almost a week into my captivity, I was startled awake in the middle of the night by a sudden feeling of familiarity. I really couldn't explain how I knew, but I was positive that my master was now on Hoth and she wasn't alone. I had an uneasy feeling that she had brought at least one other powerful Jedi, possibly two.

A sudden bolt of fear ran through me. If there were multiple Jedi masters looking for me and they were planet side already, my new found kin had limited time to get me away from the station before they were discovered. I didn't think they could pinpoint my location, but they could guess and a Jedi's guesses were usually better than a normal person's facts.

I got up from my bed and rushed over to the intercom. "Anyone there?" I asked.

"What can I get for you, Zanthia?" Replied a familiar voice. It had always been the same voice every time I used the intercom, though I had never met the woman behind it.

"I need to talk to Aristocra Saganu. It can't wait until morning."

There was no reply, but about ten minutes later, Saganu came through my door. He wasn't wearing his usual uniform. His clothes were wrinkled from sleep, meaning I had probably woken him up.

"What's wrong?" He asked, not sounding the least bit angry at the interruption of his slumber.

"My master is on Hoth and she brought at least two additional Jedi with her, one of them another master. Her arrival woke me, but when I probed closer, I felt the other two. I don't know who is with her, but she's definitely not alone. I think they are meditating through the Force, looking for me. I don't think they can necessarily find me in this way, but if I can sense them, they will definitely be able to sense me."

"How long will it take them to find you?" He asked.

"Can't say. I've never witnessed a Jedi try to find a needle in a haystack. I think it might take some time, if they can find me at all, but I don't want to risk them finding this place. I can probably shield myself from the force, make myself a smaller target."

Saganu shook his head. "No. I have planned for this moment. I will send out a message to your master using secure and untraceable methods. I will arrange for you to be returned to her the day after tomorrow, at prearranged coordinates far from here."

It was a solid plan. If the Chiss arranged a predetermined time and place to find me, even if my master didn't believe the message from Saganu, she would still wait until after the meet date to start the search. She wouldn't want to risk messing things up if the message was accurate.

"This means I will only have one more day with you." Saganu said. There were not emotions in the words, but I could feel the conflict he was facing. He wanted me to go back to my master, but he also didn't' want me to leave. "I plan to make it special. Please, go back to sleep. Tomorrow will be a big day."

I nodded and returned to my bed, wondering what he meant by special.

XXX

I couldn't fall back asleep, so I spent the remainder of the night meditating. When Saganu came into the room shortly before sunrise, we was pleased to see me awake.

"Ah, you're awake. Good. I have something I'd like to show you."

I stood, curious as to what he had to show me, since he didn't bring anything with him.

"Follow me." He said, going back out the door. This was new. The only times I left the room were to use the facilities two or three times a day and I was never escorted by Saganu himself.

"You're walking me through the station." I said.

"I am. We can't get outside without going through the station. I'm not worried about what you may see." He turned and looked at me. "I trust you."

We stopped at some type of armory, which contained several piles of cold weather gear. Saganu handed me several articles of clothing to put on, as he did the same. Once we were bundled up, we proceeded outside. It was still quite dark, but I could see the sun begin to peek out from behind a mountain to our left.

"This is what I wished to show you." He said.

We stood outside for almost an hour, watching the sun rise over the mountain. Just as with the sunset I had seen at my arrival on Hoth, the sunrise was spectacular. The Morning's rays seemed to form rainbows on the long stretches of ice, which danced back and forth as the swirling winds blew bits of snow over the horizon.

"Beautiful." I said quietly.

"I thought you might like the sunrises here. It would have been a shame for you not to have seen one during your stay."

"I thank you for allowing me out to see one. Most people don't see the beauty of this planet."

Saganu smiled at me. "I try to see the beauty in every planet I visit. Granted, some hide their charms deep down, but there is always something spectacular about each planet."

"I'm beginning to learn that myself." I said, enjoying not only the sunshine, but the fresh air. It was cold, but invigorating.

Once the sun was fully exposed, Saganu placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. "Shall be go inside and find breakfast."

I nodded and followed him obediently back into the station. We returned the borrowed gear and headed deeper into the station. I had thought he would return me to my room, but instead he led me to the stations mess hall.

"If you don't object, I thought we could eat breakfast with the general population today."

We got our meal and sat down. The room was fairly empty, but slowly filled with the early risers of the station. Dr. Yonca say with us, along with one of the soldiers who had abducted me. I learned his name was Murrn.

"I apologize for shooting you." He said, quietly, almost shyly.

I smiled at the young man. "It's alright. I lived. Just be more careful who you shoot in the future."

Murrn chuckled and nodded.

The morning was spent sharing small talk with various people and once we had completed our meal, Saganu took me on a tour of the facility. He didn't show me the control room, but that was no surprise. He trusted me, but not fully.

After the tour, we returned to my room and spend the day talking. I was surprised that even after almost a full week, we still had things to talk about. I felt comfortable in Saganu's presence. His calm demeanor was very much like a Jedi's, allowing me to relax.

After several hours, Saganu stood from his seat, stretching.

"I'm afraid I must leave you for now. I have some matters to attend to, but if you would agree to have dinner with me in a quarters this evening, I would be honored to have your company one last time before you depart."

I nodded. "Certainly."

"Excellent!. I will have someone escort you in about an hour." He leaned in and kissed my hand. "Until then, Zanthia."

He gave me a look I couldn't quite translate, then left the room. My heart was beating a bit faster than it should have been and I felt a slight nervous twitch in my stomach. I sat and did my best to calming myself.

* * *

To Be Continued...


	10. Chapter 10

Next chapter is up. Hope you enjoy and thanks to everyone reading.

* * *

About an hour after Saganu left, I was collected from my room by Murrn. He looked nervous to be alone with me as we walked down the deserted halls of the station.

"There's no need to be uncomfortable around me, Murrn."

He nodded his head, but took a moment to reply.

"I know. I think the Aristocra asked me to escort you to his quarters so you'd get a chance to kill me for shooting you."

I laughed. "I have no desire to kill you. I understand where you're coming from. You're young. New to this post. You can't be much older than I am. I only ask that you learn from your mistake and take it with you as you grow. In general, it's never a good idea to shoot someone in the back. Keep that in mind the next time."

Murrn smiled at me. "I will. I promise."

We stopped at a door at the end of the hall. He pressed a small button beside the door, then bowed to me in acknowledgement. "Enjoy your dinner." he said before quickly retreating back down the hall.

Saganu opened his door, smiling. "Please, come in."

I stepped into the room and was surprised at what I saw. The room, though still very much an ice cave, was lined with shelves, full of books and few various objects of unknown origin. Almost all of the wall space was covered.

"You certainly have a lot of books." I said, glancing at one of the shelves.

"I enjoy reading books. Data pads are easier and take up far less space, but I do love the feel of the weight of a real book in my hands, the feel of it's pages between my fingers. Having these around make me miss home just a little less."

"I can understand that. I always did like the assignments which required me to go through old scrolls and texts at the Jedi temple. "

Saganu pulled a chair out from under a table. "Please."

There was a chime at the door and moments later a large tray was brought in and placed on the table where I sat. Saganu thanked the man, then joined me at the table.

"I hope you enjoy what we're having tonight. I had the mess make up something special." He lifted the lid to the tray, revealing some type of roasted bird, surrounded by some type of tuber and leafy vegetable. I honestly couldn't recognize anything on the tray.

"All of this came from an Ascendancy planet called Ool. It's one of our primary agricultural planets. I own a bit of property on the world. I don't get to visit it much, with my work keeping me on Hoth, but I do enjoy the country setting when I can." He explained, as he served both of us.

The first few minutes were quiet as we ate. The food was wonderful.

"So, Ool? An odd name for a planet."

Saganu smiled at me, then said something I was guessing was our native language.

"That's what the planet is called in Cheunh, our native tongue."

I chuckled. "I can hear why speaking Cheunh will make you have an accent. It sounds complicated."

"It is, but you'll be hard pressed to find a single Chiss in the Ascendancy who can't speak it fluently. On many of our planets, you'll find people who only have the Chiss accent. On imperial worlds, most of our kind have a blend of the Imperial and Chiss accents, such as mine."

We chatted lightly during dinner. It was amazing how comfortable I'd become with my would be captor. I felt relaxed, as if I were visiting with an old friend. After the tray had been cleared, we sat around the table, continuing to chat. It had to be fairly late in the night when Saganu finally stood, stretching.

"It's late, but I would like to ask for a few more minutes of your time." He crossed the room, activating a small device on the shelf by the door. Moment's later, music began to play. It was a sweet, mid-tempo instrumental ballad. He held out his hand to me. "Would you honor me with a dance?"

I was reluctant, but took his hand anyway. "I've never danced with someone before."

He pulled me to the center of the room and we swayed gracefully to the music.

"It doesn't show." He said, leading me with ease.

"I've been taught Jedi grace since I was five. It didn't include dancing, but I'm guessing the skills are transferable." I replied. "You seem very good at this."

"As part of a normal noble family upbringing, I had to learn all of the social graces, which included dance. I get very few opportunities to practice my dance steps on this planet."

Jedi were taught to be warriors, diplomats and negotiators. Our place was to serve and we never questioned that goal. As I danced with Saganu, swaying gracefully to the music, I began to question my resolve as a Jedi. I had never really chosen to be trained, simply being placed with the Jedi due to my sensitivity. I knew no other way. This made me sad. Saganu must have noticed my change in mood, having stopped moving and was just looking down at me.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"Nothing." I replied. "I was just thinking about how Jedi don't dance. It's not something we're taught. I know it sounds strange, but I think I'm going to miss the freedom my incarceration has shown me. Everything you've taught me and shown me makes me realize what I'm giving up to be Jedi. I never thought about it before. I guess I could never miss something I never had." I pulled away slightly, looking down.

Saganu gently place his hand under my chin, lifting my face towards his. I thought we was going to speak, but instead, he leaned down and kissed me. It was a gentle kiss, not passionate, but comforting. I had never been kissed before and I honestly didn't know how to respond. Fortunately, he ended the kiss before I could figure out what to do. I looked up at him, speechless. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest and I felt almost faint. He simply smiled at me.

"You are an amazing woman, Zanthia. Never let anything prevent you from doing what is in your heart. Your inner flame is too vibrant. If you take nothing else from your time here, I ask you take this."

I nodded, since my voice was nowhere to be found.

"It's late and you should get a little sleep before we head out to the rendezvous site." He said sadly. For the first time, there was real emotion in his voice.

We left his quarters and silently made our way back to my room. He opened the door for me. "Sleep well." He said, closing the door behind me.

* * *

To Be Continued...


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11 up. Enjoy.

* * *

The next morning, which could only be a few hours after Saganu delivered me back to my room, I was awoken by Dr. Yonca. Not that I'd slept. Too much was about to happen for me to turn my mind off enough to sleep. I ended up meditating through the night.

"Are you ready to get outta here?" She asked happily. I had noticed the good doctor was always happy. Probably the reason she seemed to be a good doctor.

I nodded.

"Before we go, I just wanted to say it's been a pleasure meeting you. You're nothing like what I thought a Jedi would be like."

"It was nice to meet you as well. Thank you for taking care of me, while I was injured."

I followed her out of the room and down the hallway to the armory room I had visited the previous day. In the room, there were a half dozen men, including Saganu, all preparing for the journey ahead. Saganu smiled at me, no trace of the previous night's sadness anywhere on his carefully guarded face.

Once again, he handed me the cold war gear I had worn the previous morning, but this time he also handed me the gear I'd been wearing at the time of my capture, minus the hole caused by the blaster bolt, which had been repaired.

Silently, I got dressed. The room was eerily quiet. Once everyone was ready, we headed outside, where several speeders were being prepped.

"You'll ride with me, if you don't mind." Saganu said.

I nodded. I was actually a bit thankful we wouldn't have time to talk about what happened in his quarters the night before. I already had enough contradictory information running through my head.

Saganu got on one of the bikes, then held his arm out to assist me to get on behind him. I instinctively wrapped my arms around his waist.

"Hold on tight. I'd hate to lose you somewhere between here and there." He shouted over the sound of the multiple bikes.

"Don't worry, I have no desire to fall off." I shouted back.

Saganu shouted something in Cheunh and we were off.

I held on tight, hoping I wasn't causing Saganu any discomfort. If I was, I couldn't sense it in him. Over the entire time I'd been held captive at the station, I hadn't really sensed anything from him. He was a master at keeping his emotions controlled and hidden, even from a Force user.

We rode for several hours. The entire time, I focused on my master, sensing her presence getting closer and closer. I could tell now that there were two Jedi with her. I began to feel nervous, not just about seeing my master again, but about the safety of everyone involved in this prisoner release. I had come to care about the Chiss from Zero Station and I didn't wish for any blood to be shed on my account.

I also took the time to think about what I would tell my master about my time away. They would ask what happened. Where I was being held and what I learned, since they most likely were told I was taken by a group of Chiss. This was the moment of truth. Would I betray Saganu's trust and tell the Jedi and Republic about the Chiss or would I be like every other Chiss on our side and keep my lips shut.

I contemplated my choices until we began to approach a series of five tents, all covered in snow, implying they'd been set up the night before. We stopped several yards away, our presence being watched by several beings. One of which was Master Kiwiiks. Her silhouette was hard to miss, even in cold weather gear.

I got off the bike and Saganu followed. The other men stayed mounted. He pulled something out of the bike's storage compartment and handed it to me. It was my lightsaber. I hadn't even really thought about the fact that I didn't have it on me. I took it, attaching it to the outside fastener of my jacket.

"It's been an honor, Zanthia. I will cherish the time we have spent together." He took my hands and held them.

"As will I. I can honestly say, this has been one of the most eye opening experiences of my young life. I thank you for it."

"Perhaps fate will have us meeting again." He said, giving my hands a final squeeze, then releasing them. He then gestured to my people. I took a deep breath and headed towards the camp. Once I was just over half way there, I heard the speeders behind me rev their engines and head off the way they came. By the time I made it to the camp, they were gone.

Jedi were not supposed to form attachments, but Master Kiwiiks wrapped me into a hug as soon as I was close enough.

"Thank the Force you're alive. I felt you get hurt. Are you alright?" She asked, almost too fast for my brain to register.

"I'm fine, Master." I replied.

I looked over and saw Master Orgus and his padawan, Toukath. Behind them stood Lieutenant Harking, who had a very distinct look of relief on his face. I managed to pry myself away from my master, and for her part, she looked slightly embarrassed by her reaction.

The Lieutenant approached us carefully, like he was afraid to disrupt the moment.

"Should we follow them, Master Jedi?" He asked Master Orgus.

"No!" I said, perhaps a little too forcefully.

Master Orgus looked at me. He seemed to be analyzing me, but I didn't back down or shy away from his gaze.

"No, I don't think that will be necessary, Lieutenant. They have a long head start and there is no reason to risk the lives of your men, considering Zanthia seems to be in one piece." He said in his usual stoic manner. Internally, I sighed in relief.

"Very well." Harking said, turning to his men. "Pack up camp, we leave for Aurek in ten." The soldiers milling about jumped to the task of breaking down the camp.

He took my hand and squeezed it gently. "Nice to see you're okay." He said to me, with a hint of a smile, before turning to assist with the breakdown.

"Once we get back to the station, we'll get you checked out by the doctor, then we'll talk." Kiwiiks said. She sounded much calmer, but was still concerned.

I nodded. The big question still hung in my mind. What was I going to say when they asked about the last week. I still wasn't sure.

* * *

To Be Continued...


	12. Chapter 12

New chapter up. Thanks for reading...

* * *

Several hours later I found myself in the medcenter of Aurek base, having every possible test and scan performed on me. I understood the caution, considering I had just spent a week as the captive to persons unknown, but it still made me uncomfortable. However, I was a good little patient and didn't complain, since it did help stall the inevitable conversation I was to have with Kiwiiks and Orgus.

I kept running the events of the last week through my head. I could recall all of the conversations I had with Saganu and all the new information I now had about not just my species, but also myself. I was a different person now. The same, but yet different at the same time. I knew the Jedi, waiting for the all clear from the medics to talk to me, would see the transformation. You didn't get to be members of the Jedi council by being unobservant.

The doctor of Aurek base, a particularly outspoken Zabrak named Azet, was examining my back, where I had been shot by Murrn. She kept making little hawing noises, as if mine was the first blaster wound she had ever seen.

"You barely have any scar at all. Whoever healed you did an excellent job." She pulled my shirt back down and turned around so she was facing me. "Must have hurt like hell, though. You're lucky you got shot more to the side, then your back directly. Looks like your spine was unaffected by the blast."

I smiled. "Trust me, I didn't feel very lucky at the time."

"I bet. You can go ahead and cover back up." She crossed the room, making a few entries into the data pad on the nearby table, then opened the door separating the exam room from the adjacent waiting area. "You can come in now."

The doc and I were joined by Masters Kiwiiks and Orgus, along with Colonel Windborne.

"Well, our young Jedi here is fine. Perfectly healthy, not even any frostbite or malnutrition, nothing. Wherever she was being held, she was being well cared for." Azet reported.

The colonel tried to speak, but he was interrupted by the doc.

"I found no trackers, listening devices, implants, bombs or anything other foreign bodies, either. She's clean."

Windborne nodded. "Thank you doctor. If you'll give us a few minutes."

Azet looked a little annoyed, being dismissed from her own exam room, but she didn't complain, simply left the room. She obviously knew better than try to argue with the Colonel.

I hopped down from the exam table, pulling my jacket back on. I did my best to keep myself calm.

"First, it's good to see you alive, Zanthia." The Colonel said. "To be honest, when the soldiers who were with you at your abduction said you had been shot, I didn't think we'd be seeing you again. What happened? I was assuming you got taken by the Empire, but I doubt they'd just give you back so willingly."

"No, it wasn't the Empire." I said, not elaborating any further. "There was simply a misunderstanding."

"Then who was it?" Master Kiwiiks asked.

"I can't say." I said.

The Colonel crossed his arms over his chest. "Can't or won't?"

I shrugged in reply.

"You have to give us more than that, Padawan." Orgus said, not sounding angry. But then, he never sounded angry. Master Orgus was by far one of the calmest Jedi I had ever met. He had a way of making you feel perfectly at ease, regardless of the situation.

"I was taken, then let go. Nothing that happened over the past week is of any concern to the Republic or the Jedi. I'm sorry." I was shaking slightly. Defying authority was not something I made a habit of doing. Particularly to people I respected, like the two Jedi before me, but I had made up my mind. I had been treated with trust and respect while with the Chiss, it was now my turn to show trust and respect, by keeping my mouth shut.

The Colonel's face turn slightly pink. I could tell he wasn't used to being told no and was truly unhappy with my lack of intel.

"I'm afraid that isn't going to cut it." He said sternly.

"Well, I'm afraid that's all you're going to get." I replied stubbornly, crossing my arms over my chest too. "Unless you plan to have me tortured for information, like an enemy soldier."

Windborne looked like he was about to threaten me with torture, but thankfully, Master Orgus stepped in between us.

"Calm yourself, Colonel. Zanthia does not need to talk, if she doesn't wish to. She will return to Tython with us, since she's been cleared medically. This situation will be handled by the Jedi council from here on out."

"We'll be heading back tonight." Master Kiwiiks added.

"But Master, what about your shipwreck?" I asked.

"An old ship can wait. You're far more important."

"That ship is your baby. You need to be there when they pull it out. You can't miss it because of me. I could never live with myself."

"It's alright, Bela. You can stay here and supervise the excavation of the ship. Toukath and I will fly Zanthia home. Your padawan will be safe with me." Master Orgus said. "This ship is important to the entire Jedi order. I agree with your padawan, you should be there."

My master looked torn. I knew she cared very much for me and it must have pained her greatly to not know where I was or if I was alright, but I didn't want to deny her the opportunity before her. Of all the Jedi, she was by far the most invested in this ship.

"Very well." She conceded. "But you'll remain on Tython until I return."

"Yes, master." I nodded.

"So that's it? She gets captured by an enemy force and is held for a full week and all we get from it is, it's none of your business?" Windborne exclaimed, extremely unhappy.

"I'm sorry, Colonel, but if Zanthia says she learned nothing of value from her captors, I believe her."

The Colonel looked like he wanted to argue, but you could feel the fight leave him. He threw his arms up in surrender. "Fine, but if you learn anything from her, I expect to be informed."

"We'll keep you in the loop." Orgus said.

With everything worked out, I accompanied Master Orgus and Padawan Toukath to his ship, leaving Master Kiwiiks behind to continue with her mission. She gave me some final instructions before we left. Mainly asking me to stay on Tython and do what the other master's asked. I was sure the council would have all kinds of questions. They usually did when someone spent time in enemy custody.

They would treat me the same, but I didn't plan to tell them anything about the Chiss or the Ascendancy. I now understood why defectors remained silent. Giving up Imperial secrets was one thing, but they all had a deep commitment to the Ascendancy. A commitment I now shared.

XXX

I sat meditating on board Master Orgus's ship. It would take several days to arrive back home and I was thankful for the extra time. As much as I trusted the members of the Jedi council, this would be the first time I planned to not tell them everything that happened to me while on a mission. I wasn't going to lie, but I was going to omit most of my experiences with the Chiss.

I was very distracted. So distracted that I was startled by Master Orgus when he entered the room. I was very rarely startled anymore.

"Sorry, Zanthia. I didn't mean to scare you. If you don't mind me asking, what has you so worried?"

I sighed. "Talking with the council. I can't..."

Orgus smiled at me, taking seat in the chair across from my bed. "They will not force you to talk about anything that happened to you. There's no need to be concerned. But, if I can venture a guess. I think you were taken by members of the fabled Chiss Ascendancy. Most likely, you got to learn a great deal about yourself and your kind over the past week. You don't need to confirm if I'm correct. Just remember, a great Jedi doesn't only know about the Force, but also about herself. The more comfortable she is with herself, the stronger she is with the Force."

Master Orgus stood.

"I get the feeling, you're about to show all of us just what kind of an amazing Jedi you are to become." He held his hand out to me, to help me to my feet. "Now, if you'd please join myself and Toukath for dinner. I promised your master I'd take care of you and I do intend to keep that promise."

I chuckled, allowing him to help me up. I followed him to the galley of his ship, feeling better, not just about my coming meeting with the council, but about my future with the Jedi as well.

* * *

To Be Continued...


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter up...enjoy...

* * *

 **Two years later…**

I breath a sigh of relief as my ship touched down on Tython. It had been a very long six months and I was happy to finally be home.

When I returned home from my time with the Chiss on Hoth, I had found a new purpose in my life. I began to see everything around me in a different way and, just as Master Orgus had predicted, this new found confidence in myself made me a whole new Jedi. My already strong connection with the Force seemed to only get stronger.

The first thing I did was mix up my saber style. Master Kiwiiks had taught me a single saber technique, but I decided to try a two saber style, after watching one of the Jedi Knights who also used the style. She was happy to give me a few pointers and once I constructed a second, smaller lightsaber for my offhand, I started to train using both my weapons at the same time.

Fortunately, my gamble worked and my dueling ability improved almost overnight. Even Master Kaedan was impressed and he was not an easy man to impress, considering his military background.

I often thought of the time I had spent on Hoth, but instead of letting it distract me, I used it as a source of focus and strength. Two months after returning home, Master Kiwiiks and the Jedi council officially promoted me to the the rank of Jedi Knight.

Shortly after getting my new title, I dedicated myself to learning how to fly a starship. Most Jedi learned the skill, since you never knew when it would come in handy, but I was determined to be good enough to be granted my own starship. I had never been able to master how not to get spacesick on large ships and hoped that if I had my own ship, I could minimize my exposure to the larger ships that made me sick.

Once I had proved my proficiency and had been granted my own ship, I began being sent on more missions and they became more and more dangerous. I was sent to places like Nar Shaddaa and Taris, places where I would no doubt run into trouble, simply by the nature of the mission and the location.

I had just returned from a six month mission to Balmorra, where I had been assisting the local resistance with their struggle against the Empire. It had been a particularly difficult assignment. For the first time, I saw almost daily combat and had fought and killed many people, including my first Sith. Though mentally draining, I felt I had accomplished something during my stay.

I stretched as I got off my ship. As much as I loved having a ship of my own, space travel was still exhausting. I took a shuttle down to the surface of Tython and was greeted at the hanger by Master Kiwiiks. Though she was no longer my master, she still felt responsible for me and had obviously been eager for my return.

"Welcome home, Zanthia."

"It's nice to be back." I said as we headed into the temple.

"I've heard you did an amazing job on Balmorra."

I nodded. "It was a hard mission. I've never seen so much combat and death in all my life. Not to mention fighting my first Sith. It's going to take some time to fully absorb everything that happened to me."

"You never forget your first combat mission. They tend to stick with you longer than most. I'm pleased you managed to make it back in one piece. Some Jedi go their whole lives without fighting a Sith, one on one."

We walked by the council chambers and Kiwiiks stopped. "There's a council meeting I'm late to, since I wished to greet you upon your return. I'll talk to you later, though."

I nodded and continued to my own chambers. Not all Jedi stay on Tython once their training is complete. In fact, most choose to have homes on other planets, usually where they came from originally. Since that wasn't an option for me, I chose to stay on Tython, until I found a planet I liked enough to settle down on. Not that Jedi ever really settled down. Some choose to spend their later years in isolation on various plants, though living long enough to retire was never a certainty.

I took off my lightsabers, placing them on the stand next to my bed and laid down. It felt amazingly good to be on solid ground again and not have to be constantly on guard for possible attack. That was the hardest part about being on Balmorra, I had to be constantly vigilant. There had been a few other Jedi on the planet, but not nearly enough of us to make any camp truly safe.

I had almost drift off to sleep when an extremely hyper form landed next to me on my bed, almost crushing me in the process. I didn't' need to open my eyes to know it was Grella.

"You're back!" She said, bouncing.

I opened my eyes and pulled myself to a seated position. "I am? I knew I made a wrong turn somewhere after leaving the fleet."

"Ha ha. So, how was your mission. I bet you got all kinds of amazing stories and had all kinds of adventures."

"No, I don't." I said with an edge of irritation in my voice. "The last six months have been the most difficult of my life. I was both mentally and physically pushed to almost my breaking point. Thousands of people were wounded and killed on Balmorra during the past six months alone. Some of which were wounded or killed by my own hand. It was war, Grella, not exciting and certainly not an adventure. Being a Jedi is not about going out and having adventures, so you have stories to tell your friends. It's about helping people. It's about saving lives and sometimes about taking them."

Grella was taken aback. "Wow, you sound like a real Jedi."

I sighed. "That's because I am a real Jedi and it also proves why you are not, yet."

"I'm sorry." She replied. "I didn't…"

"It's alright, Grella. I'm sorry for going off on you. I'm just exhausted, and as I said, it was a difficult mission."

Grella smiled at me. "Oh, I almost forgot." She pulled a lightsaber off her belt. "Look what I made."

"You finally made your own lightsaber. Congratulations." I said, not pointing out that she was still very far away from being a full Jedi. Being able to build a weapon was one thing. Being able to use it responsibly was another matter entirely.

"Thanks! You should have seen Master Bronn when I showed him." There was a paused, then Grella swore softly under her breath. "I'm supposed to be in upper Kaleth like five minutes ago."

She jumped off my bed and rushed out the door, waving as she went.

I honestly didn't know what I would do with that girl. Even though we were similar in age, my maturity level was so far above hers, sometimes it felt like I was her mother and not her friend. I chuckled at the thought, giving up on a nap and attaching my weapons back on my belt. I headed down to the mess hall, which was empty due to the hour, and got lunch.

I ate quietly for a long time, but was soon joined by Master Bronn, who was Grella's master. He was a human man in his late forties, with a bald head and large, blue eyes. He was a large man, but also one of the gentlest souls I had ever had the opportunity to meet.

"I hear from Grella that you just got back from offworld. She seemed very low key just a minute ago. It's very unlike her."

I shrugged. "Yeah. I might have yelled at her, just a little."

Bronn chuckled. "Let me guess, she wanted to hear all about the adventures you had on your mission. At which point, you informed her about the reality of your mission."

I nodded. "Pretty much."

Bronn sighed the sigh of a man who had heard the story before.

"I'm not sure what I'm going to do with that girl. She doesn't seem to understand that being a Jedi is not just a job you do from nine to five, but it's a lifestyle. An all day, everyday commitment we all chose to take on. It's not all adventure and excitement, and often requires sacrifice and tough decisions. I fear the day she learns this the hard way, will be the day she gets herself killed."

"Don't give up on her, yet, master. With your teachings and an occasional reality check from me, you'll get her there."

"I find your optimism refreshing, Zanthia. Kiwiiks did a good job with you."

"She's a good master. So are you. I've been here on Tython so long, every master has influenced what I've become in some way or another."

We ate the remainder of our meal in comfortable silence, then parted company at the door. Bronn was off to find Grella and I was off to find some well deserved sleep.

* * *

To Be Continued...


	14. Chapter 14

Sorry it took so long to update. Enjoy!

* * *

I strolled slowly through the wilds just east of the Kaleth ruins. It had been unsafe to simply stroll anywhere on Balmorra, so I was enjoying allowing myself the luxury of wandering since returning to the safety of Tython. I seemed to adapt quickly to being back home, which was good. Adaptability was a necessary skill of a successful Jedi.

I stood on the edge of one of the many cliffs, enjoying the view. I felt Master Satele approach a solid five minutes before she arrived. She made a substantial imprint on the force, if you knew what you were sensing and if she wasn't trying to hide herself.

"It's an amazing view." She said, stopping to stand next to me.

I nodded. "It is."

"I hope I'm not disturbing you. I was up here for other reasons and happened to see you head up this way. I've been meaning to talk to you, but neither of us seem to have much free time these days. We've been ships passing in the night since you returned home."

"You're not disturbing me at all, Master. What's on your mind? Is there a mission for me to attend to?" I asked, curious. The Grand Master and I were on friendly enough terms, but she very rarely sought me out.

"For the first time in a great while, no, there isn't a mission. That's actually the reason I'd like to speak with you. Since becoming a Jedi Knight, you've gone on one mission after another. Though I admire your ambition, I wanted to remind you to use caution living in this way. It's important to take time off." She said.

I sighed, a tad louder than I meant to. I honestly didn't like downtime much. Even though the events happened years ago, whenever I had downtime, I often thought of my time on Hoth. I was very skilled at keeping these thoughts at bay while I was working, but being left to my own devices allowed my mind to relax enough to make the memories reappear. I had a sneaky suspicion Master Satele suspected my difficulties, even without knowing the specifics. You couldn't keep secrets from her. Not completely.

"I'm not good at doing nothing." I said.

Master Satele chuckled. "It's an unfortunate trait in most Jedi. I'd be remiss in my duties as leader of the Jedi if I didn't encourage you to take some time off. Or, at the very least, do something that's not necessarily sanctioned by the Republic or the Order."

I looked out over the horizon and something came to mind. "Actually, I do have something I can do with my time. When I was on Nar Shaddaa a year or so back, I helped a group of refugees get settled. I promised to check back in on them. Not that Nar Shaddaa is a particularly relaxing place, but the work itself should be fairly easy. Not to mention it's a place where I can walk around and no one pays me any mind. There aren't many Chiss on Nar Shaddaa at any given time, but it's not usual, either. I certainly won't look out of place and that, in and of itself, is relaxing to me."

Master Satele nodded. "It's unfortunate you still feel like an outsider on Republic worlds."

I shrugged. "I'm used to it."

"I like the idea of you doing a follow up with the people you helped on Nar Shaddaa. It's good to keep your promises and I'm certain any help you can give will be greatly appreciated. It's not the easiest place to live."

"That it is not." I agreed.

"I'll leave you to it, then." The Master said, turning to leave. "But please, try to find time to relax. There are far too few of our order to have valuable Jedi burn out."

"You have my word, Master."

She smiled at me, and headed back towards the speeder camp of Kaleth. I was glad the Master had taken the time to talk to me about time off. I had completely forgotten about the refugees I had helped on Nar Shaddaa. They were mostly the descendants of Taris survivors who had nowhere else to go and were forced to migrate from planet to planet. It hadn't been their fault the Empire had nearly destroyed their world. They deserved better than a nomadic life and I had tried my best to help them find it on Nar Shaddaa.

I had to admit, it would be interesting to see how they were faring and I did like some of the ales served in the local cantinas. I had a feeling this would be an excellent chance for me to relax. As much as I disliked downtime, I desperately needed it.

* * *

To Be Continued...


	15. Chapter 15

Sorry it's been awhile since I updated. forgive me and enjoy

* * *

I was in my ship's galley, preparing for my trip to Nar Shaddaa.

Shortly after returning from Kaleth, I was approached by Master Bronn, who requested I take Grella with me to Nar Shaddaa for a few days. He wanted her to have the experience of being a Jedi off Tython, but also be supervised. Her leaving after a few days and returning to Tython on her own was also a part of the deal. Bronn wanted her to have just a quick taste of what it was like to be a full Jedi, with the hope it might cure her of her need for adventure. She needed to learn that life outside of Tython was hard and being a Jedi out in the universe was even harder.

I had agreed right way. It really was a good plan and Nar Shaddaa was a perfect place to take her. She would need to learn control of her emotions, since you could end up sharing air with Imperials and you had to not react, or get yourself killed. It would be an interesting job for me, keeping her alive, but I was willing to do what I must to help Grella make it to Jedi Knight in one piece.

I had nearly completed my inventory check, when Grella bounded in with her things, followed by her much more mellow master.

"This is so exciting! My first offworld trip." She exclaim, a bit too excitedly for my taste. "And it's with you!"

I looked to Bronn, who was rolling his eyes. The poor man really did have a challenging padawan. He was infinitely patient, though. Any other master would have given up on the wild youth ages ago.

"Yes, you're going with Zanthia. You will listen to her and follow her lead, as you would with me. I'm taking a chance letting you offworld at this point in your training, but I think the experience will be good for you and will help you understand why I get upset by your excitement. I expect a full report on what you learned when you return and I will get a full report from Zanthia to ensure you behaved."

Grella calmed down. "Of course Master. You don't need to worry. I'll make you proud."

Bronn nodded. "Good luck to both of you. Safe journey." He bowed, then left the ship.

"Remember what Master Bronn said. When we land on Nar Shaddaa, you must listen to what I tell you. It's a very rough place and you could literally be surrounded by Imperials or even Sith, but you must learn not to react. This moon is neutral territory and we must stay as neutral as possible. Any fight picked could cost, not just the Order, but the Republic. You must remember that, if nothing else."

Grella nodded, for the first time taking what I was saying seriously. "Of course, Zanthia. I'll follow your lead and do nothing without your permission. I know I sound excited, and I am, but I'm also terrified."

I smiled at my friend, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "It's okay to be scared, but don't let it interfere with your perception of the now. As Jedi, we must not let any emotions control our actions, regardless of the type of emotion."

She nodded.

"Excellent! Time to go." I said, allowing just a bit of excitement be heard in my voice.

XXX

The flight to Nar Shaddaa had been uneventful. I had to admit, it was nice flying with a companion. I had my droid onboard, of course, but it wasn't like having another flesh and blood person to interact with. Grella calmed down well during the trip and was amazingly composed as we made our way through the local spaceport for the first time.

She had told me during our trip that she had never been to a city like this one before, so she was much too busy looking at everything around her to cause any trouble. I didn't anticipate any problems while she was in my charge, but in a place like this, anything could happen. Nar Shaddaa wasn't exactly known for being a peaceful place.

Grella spent two days with me. I took her right to the refugee settlement, where she quickly learned that life as a Jedi wasn't all lightsaber battles and adventure. She did get to pull out her lightsaber when a thief tried to rob the settlement, but he turned and ran before there was a fight. All in all, I felt she learned something. I was sure Master Bronn would see a difference in her attitude.

As instructed, Grella left after the second day to return to Tython alone. After seeing my friend off, I meandered to a cantina at a slow pace, looking forward to a good Corellian ale. I didn't drink much, but I did like to indulge after a long day. Outside the entrance were several young children, handing out flyers for local establishments. A bright red Zabrak girl, who couldn't be more than 7 or 8 standard years old, handed me a flyer, but pressed it firmer into my hand than necessary. She smiled at me, then scurried away.

I looked at the papers in my hand and found she didn't just hand me a flyer, but also what looked like a datakey to one of the rentable rooms above the cantina. It had a room number written across the front in a curvey handwriting.

I froze in the hallway of the cantina, not sure what to do as I examined the datakey. It looked like someone was secretly trying to meet with me. The question was, was this person friend or foe? This could be something as innocent as an indecent proposal, to an Imperial ambush, to an undercover Republic agent asking for help.

I continued into the cantina, bypassing the bar and headed into the lift which took you to the second floor, where the rooms were located. Whatever this was, I had to investigate. If someone needed help, I couldn't ignore the invite, even if it was a trap.

I took my primary weapon off my belt and readied it in my right hand, holding the datakey in my left. These rooms had to be fairly small and one lightsaber would be enough to defend myself, as long as there weren't too many people in the room. I approached the room slowly, reaching out with my mind. I could only feel one person in the room. He or she seemed very calm, without even a trace of anger or aggression. They seemed a bit nervous, but not distractingly so. It was a good sign. I could also tell this person wasn't Force sensitive.

I took a deep breath, swiped the key and entered the room…

* * *

To Be Continued...


	16. Chapter 16

It's been a very long time since I updated any story. I've started about a dozen new ones, but updates have been scarce. I did finish this one, so with any luck, I can update more often. Enjoy!

* * *

 **Zanthia's POV**

I stepped into the room to find every light turned on, as if the person inside wanted to make sure he or she was seen. From my far left I heard a voice I never thought I'd hear again. I almost dropped my lightsaber.

"I see you got my message." Saganu said, stepping out from behind a counter in the kitchen area, holding what looked like a glass of wine. "Can I get you a drink?'

I was speechless. Saganu was standing in front of me, his personal calm just as reassuring as it had been back on Hoth. It had been two years, but he seemed unchanged by the time, though I had to admit, he did seem more relaxed. It might have been the fact he was wearing casual attire instead of his official uniform. He chuckled softly, obviously amused by my shock.

"I see my surprise has been effective. You must forgive me for turning up like this, but I was deeply troubled by the way we parted company back on Hoth. I wished to say goodbye to you in a much more...personable way, but I didn't want to cause you trouble with your master." While he spoke, he poured a second glass of wine.

He approached me, handing me the wine. I took it, having pulled myself out of the stupor I was in from seeing Saganu. I ran through a calming technique in my head, trying to slow my heart. The technique didn't work fast enough, so I took a long sip from the glass.

"How'd you know I'd be on Nar Shaddaa?" I asked, returning my weapon to my belt and taking another sip of the wine. Normally, I would be more leery of someone secretly luring me into his room, but deep down, I trusted Saganu. If he had wanted to do me harm, he would have two years ago, when I was his captive.

"I'm slightly embarrassed to tell you this, but I've had your ship tracked, since I learned you got a ship of your own. I was waiting for the day you would land on a planet where I could arrange a discreet meeting, without putting either of us in mortal danger. Nar Shaddaa seemed like the perfect location."

"You've been stalking me?" I asked, only slightly joking. I found the idea that he had been tracking my activities disturbing. I trusted him, but not completely, particularly as it pertained to his loyalties. He was an ally of the Empire, after all.

"I've been keeping track of where you fly, but have not been going so far as to getting into your business. I knew you were on a planet, but I didn't wish to know why. It was and still is none of my business. I hope you can forgive my rudeness."

I thought about it for a moment, then shrugged. "It's a bit unnerving to learn I've been tracked, considering I should have discovered the tail long before now, on my own, but since you haven't tried to interfere with or even learn about my business, I guess I can forgive you. I have to think about more than just me, but also the security of the Jedi Order and the Republic."

Saganu held a hand up. "I assure you, my interest in you is purely personal. I've been searching for a woman like you for a long time. It's rare to meet a true red flame and I wasn't about to let you go so easily."

"Red flame?" I asked.

"Let me explain." He said, guiding me to a couch at the far end of the room. I took a seat and he sat next to me, turning so he could address me properly without invading my personal space. He was being overly careful with his movements.

"A red flame is a Chiss who is an ideal state of perfection. They possess cunning, courage and discipline rarely found in other species. You're a perfect representation of our kind."

I mouth fell open before I could catch myself. I placed my wine glass down on the table by the couch, not wanting to drop it on the floor. I had no idea he thought so highly of me. Though flattering, I had a feeling the conversation was about to head in an uncomfortable direction.

"You see, I come from a noble family. Various members of my family have tried, over the years, to introduce me to women, believing a noble man of my age should not be alone. Those women were mostly trophies. They looked good on my arm at functions, but had little other purpose. I desire a woman who is my equal. One who can look nice on my arm, but also sit next to me at a diplomatic table and fight by my side during battle. I was beginning to lose hope in finding such a person, until I met you."

"What are you saying?" I asked softly, almost a whisper.

"I've learned about the ways of the Jedi and I realize what I'm about to ask of you will most likely go against your teachings. I also admit, I'm almost old enough to be your father, but I could not live with myself if I didn't at least ask." He put his wine glass down next to mine and took my hands in his. "I wish to take you as my mate."

I couldn't find any words and I was trembling like a leaf. I sat quietly for several minute, my brain stubbornly refusing to focus on anything but the feel of my hands in his.

"Saganu, I don't know…" I started, but he stopped me before I could continue. I honestly didn't know what I was going to say anyway and was relieved he interrupted.

"You don't need to answer now. I plan to stay on Nar Shaddaa for as long as you're here. I request a chance for you to get to know me outside of what was learned on Hoth. I wish for you to see the real me and then, regardless of your answer, I can go home knowing I tried."

"This has never happened to me. I literally have no idea what to say right now."

Saganu chuckled again. "Then say nothing. Go back to your ship. Relax. Collect your thoughts. I would very much like to have dinner with you tomorrow, once you've recovered."

I nodded, trying to stand, but not knowing if my legs would hold me. I was relieved that I succeeded and, more shockingly, was steady on my feet. Three cheers for Jedi training. Saganu walked me to the door, kissing my hand before wishing me goodnight.

I somehow made it back to my ship, though I honestly didn't remember walking there. Some mighty Jedi I was, turning into a zombie over one question.

One question I had no idea how to answer.

* * *

To Be Continued...


	17. Chapter 17

Hello all. Another new chapter. I haven't been mentioning POV on all my chapters, due to all of them being in the same POV, but soon I'll be shifting a bit, so I'm gonna get back in the practice. Enjoy.

* * *

 **Zanthia POV**

I returned to my ship, switching off my droid before he could get out a single word. I was in no mood to deal with android logic tonight.

I went to the galley, made myself a cup of tea and sat down. My brain was in overdrive and my usual Jedi calming techniques were doing nothing to slow it down. I was shocked that I made it back to my ship.

I sat for a long time, not really thinking anything. My tea sat on the table in front of me, cold and untouched. It had to have taken at least three hours for the shock to wear off enough for me to be able to actually begin to analyze my situation. My Jedi training didn't cover this kind of thing.

This wasn't the first time I had been approached by a man in an intimate way.

At the beginning of my last month on Balmorra, Lieutenant Harking's team was assigned to the same base I was stationed. It was now Major Harking, but he had not changed much from when I last saw him on Hoth.

It took a few days, but he eventually picked up flirting we me, exactly where he left off before I was captured. It was subtle and kept to times when neither of us were working. This time, however, I began to flirt back.

After becoming a Knight, I started observing the interactions of of the non-Jedi around me. I was no longer the shy little padawan. I didn't actually know if I wanted a more intimate relationship with Sarin, or any man for that matter, but I found that I enjoyed the flirtation. It became almost like a game to us, until the day I was to depart Balmorra.

I had completed the mission I had set out to complete, so I had little reason to stay, considering if I stayed until Balmorra was free, I'd never leave. Jedi were far too valuable to have permanent assignments. Before I set out for home, Sarin visited me in my ship. He expressed his disappointment in my departure, but commented that this would not be the last time we met.

Then he kissed me. It wasn't a short, soft kiss either. It was long and hard and passionate. If he had been a less honorable man, he probably could have taken advantage of the passion, but after several minutes, he ended the kiss and left the ship with a wave. It had taken me almost an hour afterwards to recover enough to fly the ship.

This situation was different in one key aspect, though. Saganu wasn't just flirting with me, he had asked me to be his mate. He was talking about engaging in something far more permanent. More importantly, he was asking me to choose between the Republic and the Empire. He was probably not doing it intentionally, but the end result was the same. If I agreed to be his mate, I'd be leaving the Jedi and Republic, to join an ally of the Empire.

The scary thing was, I was considering the offer.

* * *

The next day, after a very sleepless night, I headed over to Saganu's room first thing in the morning. He had asked me to join him for dinner, but I had no hope of getting anything done with my day until I spoke with him again.

When I got to his door, I knocked. I still had a key, but it seemed intrusive to simply walk in, particularly, since I was not expected until the afternoon.

Saganu opened the door, looking surprised, but not upset by my sudden appearance.

"Zanthia. I hadn't expected you until this evening, but I'm happy to see you, none the less."

He moved aside to let me in the room. Though it was fairly early in the morning, he was already dressed and ready for the day. I noticed, however, that he seemed to be in the middle of breakfast.

"Would you care to join me for breakfast?" He asked.

"No, I'm fine. I just wished to talk more about your proposal. I'm a bit less shocked and I have some serious questions to ask."

He gestured to the sofa. "Then, by all means, sit and ask your questions."

I took a seat at the far end of the sofa and he sat at the other side, allowing me space.

"What you've requested of me as left me very conflicted."

Saganu nodded. "I had figured it would. I apologize, but there was no way to ask without conflict."

I nodded as well. "You said you learned some about the ways of the Jedi, so you know we're not allowed to have romantic attachments. We're not allowed to get married or have children. I'm guessing asking me to be your mate is the equivalent of human marriage."

"It is a similar act. We don't have a word for our pairing off, but we do mate for life."

"Though the question would be easier to answer if I weren't a Jedi, My teachings as a Jedi are not what I'm truly concerned about. Many Jedi have relationships which would be considered inappropriate and I know for a fact that many have children. There are loopholes around the rules. What I'm more concerned about is my place as a Jedi in the Republic conflicting with your place as an Ally to the Empire. You and I are currently standing on opposite sides of a war. I can not and will not fight against the Republic or the Jedi. I'm not Sith, nor do I wish to become one."

Saganu got a worried look on his face, scooting closer to me and taking my hand.

"I would never dream of asking you to become Sith. I've never much cared for their kind and am actually relieved to hear you do not wish to become one. As for this war between our sides, I will never ask you to fight against the Republic. I can't promise the Ascendancy will never ally with the Empire against them, on occasion, but I will not ask you to participate. Just as I would hope you would never ask me to fight against the Empire."

He gave my hand a reassuring squeeze, since he undoubtedly could feel me trembling.

"It'd be a complicated relationship, I don't doubt that, but if we both can live as members of the Ascendancy first and foremost, I think we can make it work. I'm merely asking you for the opportunity to try."

I sighed. "Why do you have to be so charming?" I asked, more to myself than to Saganu. This made him chuckle.

"May I ask you a question, since we're trying to talk this out?" He asked, still holding my hand. "Did you choose to be a Jedi or did you become one by default?"

The question surprised me. It took me a few moments to answer. "I guess you could say I was born into the Jedi. It's the only life I know."

He nodded. "Would you have chosen the lifestyle, if you had been given the choice, now that you know what it is to be a Jedi?"

I didn't have a quick answer to the question. I should have been able to say yes, but something stopped the words from leaving my lips. It was true, I didn't choose to be a Jedi. Though I knew I didn't have to stay, no one was forcing me to be Jedi, I had never really thought of doing anything else. Was this because I truly wanted to be a Jedi or was it simply because I knew no other way? I didn't realized I was crying until Saganu wiped a tear off my cheek.

"I've done something to upset you. I didn't wish to make you cry."

I lowered my gaze to my lap, where his right hand was still holding mine. "No. You just asked a question I can't answer. One I don't know how to answer."

"I think, once you answer the currently unanswerable question, all others will fall into place."

He pulled me into a hug and I didn't protest. At the moment, it felt good to be held.

* * *

I left a few minutes later, choosing to go back to my ship, rather than return to the refugee camp. I had promised to return for dinner, which had left me several hours to kill.

Saganu was correct. Only one question was standing in the way of me making a decision. The fact was, I was a Jedi. I was good at being a Jedi. The question I needed to answer was, did I want to be a Jedi?

* * *

To Be Continued...


	18. Chapter 18

Sorry for the delay, but I got a review the other day and that always helps motivate me to update a story. Glad it's being enjoyed. Thanks for reading.

* * *

 **Zanthia POV**

Over the next two weeks, most of my time was spent working with the refugees. In the evenings, I would dine with Saganu, then return to my ship to contemplate my question. Truth be told, I was enjoying Saganu's company more and more everyday. I found myself wishing we could stroll around the promenade together, act as a real couple. This wish scared me.

If I were truly a Jedi, I wouldn't be having these feelings. Or maybe, if I were truly meant to be a Jedi, I wouldn't be wrestling with them at all. I'd find excuses to remain a Jedi and abandon the Jedi, all through the day. By the time I went to bed, I'd be just as confused, if not more so, than I was the night before.

I just didn't know.

After a full month had passed, I knew my time was up. I needed to decide if I was going to return to Tython or go with Saganu.

I stood outside his room, data card in hand. I no longer felt the need to knock, but I was reluctant to enter. I had an answer, but I still wasn't sure if I was making the right decision. I had managed to not change my mind for almost 24 hours. I took it as a hopeful sign.

I took a deep breath and let myself in.

The lights in the room had been dimmed and there was soft music playing in the background. There was a dozen purple and blue flowers acting as a centerpiece to the table, which was already set for our meal. The room held a distinctly romantic ambiance.

Saganu smiled as he greeted me at the door, taking my hand and kissing it gently. "I hope you don't mind the ambiance. Regardless of your decision, I thought our last meal together on this world should be special."

"It's beautiful. Will dinner get cold if we talk first?" I asked. My voice came out surprisingly strong and confident.

"No, it's being kept warm. I figured you would wish to talk before we dined." He motioned to the sofa. "Should we sit?"

"I'd rather stand, for the moment." For some reason standing gave me courage.

"As you like." He replied, waiting patiently for me to continue.

"I've honestly never spent so much time thinking, as I have the last few weeks. The more I think, the more confused I seem to become, but I've made a decision." I looked down for a moment, then looked up into Saganu's eyes. "I don't know if I would have chosen to be a Jedi, if given an option. Also, I can't agree to be your mate..."

Saganu tried to speak, but I placed my hand gently on his lips to silence him.

"Let me finish, please. I can't agree to be your mate...yet. I've only known you for a short time. I'm not in love with you, but as you stated about yourself, I couldn't live with myself if I didn't try. If you agree, I'll leave here with you. Maybe some time in your world will help me get some perspective. I'm sorry it's not exactly what you wanted, but..."

"It's perfect." He said, pulling me into a hug. "Take all the time you need. Just having you in my life, in any capacity, will be enough. It's unreasonable to ask someone to be their mate with so little time spent together."

I smiled at him like an idiot, though thankfully he couldn't see it. I pulled out of the hug, but kept my arms around his waist.

"I'm happy you agree with my decision. I only ask one thing. I need a few days to prepare before we leave the planet. I'm finished helping the refugees I came here to assist, but I have a few things to do before departing. I plan to leave my ship here, in lockdown. The Jedi council will look for me here, when I don't' return or communicate soon. I'm going to leave a holo for my master. She's been family to me almost my whole life and I can't leave without some explanations. I can't tell her the whole story, but I can give her part of it. I don't wish for anyone to go looking for me."

"I understand. We'll leave when you're ready. There's no rush."

Without thinking, I hugged Saganu again. He accepted it with a sigh. I could feel how happy he was and it was hard not to match his emotions. I was terrified, but happy as well. I pulled away, smiling up at him.

"When we do depart, where are we going? Hoth?"

"Eventually. I thought we might spend a few weeks on Ool, at my estate. It'll give us a chance to get to know each other, without the stresses of my profession. The weather will be far more favorable, as well. That is, if you agree?"

"Sounds great." I backed up from Saganu and took a seat at the table. I was shaking and my knees felt weak. I had done it. I just hoped I won't live to regret it.

* * *

To Be Continued


	19. Chapter 19

New chapter up. Enjoy.

* * *

 **Zanthia POV**

I sat next to the holoprojector on my ship, preparing it to record. I couldn't leave the Order without leaving a message for Master Kiwiiks. She had been more than just my teacher and mentor, she was also my friend, my family, and the closest I would ever come to having a mother. She deserved that much at least. I also hoped that a message would deter the Order from looking for me.

I took a calming breath and hit record.

"Masters,"

"I hate to do this by holo, but…" I stopped, turning my head away with a growl then turned back towards the holorecorer. "That's a lie. I can't start this message with a lie. The truth is, I haven't enough courage to do this in person, so a holo will have to suffice. I must leave the Order. Something happened to me on Hoth, and though I didn't give you specifics, and still can't, the experience changed me. I know all of you have seen it. Those changes made me a better Jedi, a better person. I've been thinking long and hard about several questions. Several questions I just can't answer. Until I can, I can not, in good conscience, continue to serve as a Jedi Knight. I value what I have learned from you and will take those teachings with me on my journey. I will live by them as best I can. I hope someday we'll meet again and I'll be able to explain why I'm leaving."

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. I was doing my best to control my emotions.

"Take care of each other and may the Force be with you all."

I reach out with the Force and shut down the recorder.

* * *

I sat quietly in the room Saganu had given me on his ship, just looking at the starlines. The view while in hyperspace had always been stunning to me. The sight lulled me into almost a meditative state.

"You seem relaxed." Saganu said, entering the room.

I looked up to him and smiled. "Perhaps on the outside. On the inside, I'm a swirling vortex of nervous energy and self doubt. As a Jedi, I've been trained to hide it and work around it. I guess I don't have to do that anymore, considering I'm no longer a Jedi."

Saganu sat next to me. "You are still a Jedi. Dropping a title doesn't change who you really are. You, my dear, are a Jedi and will probably always be a Jedi, even if it's only in your own mind. I would truly hate for you to stop being yourself."

I chuckled. I had never really thought about it like that, but he was right. Just because I left the Order, it didn't mean I stopped being that person. I was merely expanding my mind. Trying new things. Learning for myself if I truly wanted to remain an active Jedi Knight of the Order, or if my destiny lay along a different path. I had never been given the option. Now I was taking the option for myself.

"You're right. Being a Jedi isn't a job, it's a state of being." I leaned back in my seat, relaxing fully, not just on the outside. "I think I might learn a great deal from you. You're unlike anyone I have ever known."

"I hope that is a good thing." He said.

I smiled at him, placing a hand on his cheek and gave him a gentle kiss.

"It's a very good thing. Though, I'll admit, this whole situation will take some getting used to. I'm not used to participating in open displays of affection."

Saganu placed his hand over the one still resting on his cheek, then turned and kissed the palm. "I think you're doing fine in that respect, if you want my opinion."

We sat for a long time, in comfortable silence, simply holding hands and watching space pass.

* * *

To Be Continued...


	20. Chapter 20

I"m gonna start switching up POV here and there now. Keep ya on your toes. Enjoy. Thanks for reading.

* * *

 **Kiwiiks POV**

Zanthia had been gone for over two months, which wasn't unexpected, but she had failed to check in for a full two weeks. This was not like my former Padawan. She had always met check in times. Something was wrong.

I left my new Padawan, Frendric, in the care of Master Orgus and left for Nar Shaddaa. Inquiries with Nar Shaddaa port authorities indicated Zanthia's ship was still on the planet, but had been moved to long term storage. They would not identify who had put it there. I could only hope there was some clue as to Zanthia's whereabouts in or around her ship. She was not dead and as far as I could tell she wasn't injured, she was just missing.

After her time on Hoth, which was still a mystery to me, Zanthia had changed. Her focus as a Jedi became stronger, clearer. She found the ability to not only see her own flaws, but correct them as well. The most obvious example was her saber technique. It takes time and dedication to learn to use two lightsabers effectively, but she had done it in little more than a month. She seemed to now be comfortable in her own skin and no longer cared what others thought of her.

The change was remarkable.

When I arrived on Nar Shaddaa, I went directly to the long term ship storage. I was greeted by a tall human named Grenn.

"What's your interest in this ship?" He inquired.

"It belongs to a Jedi Knight. One of our Order."

"Hmm." He said. "That's odd."

I looked to him. "Why do you say that?"

"It was put into long term storage by a Chiss. A male Chiss. Didn't think there were any of those in your Order. Though, I don't claim to be an expert on Jedi." We continued to walk until we came to Zanthia's ship. "Here it is Master Jedi. Let me know if you need anything else."

I nodded. "Thank you, you've been most helpful."

Grenn took his leave and I used the Force to unlock the ship. No extraordinary measures had been taken to secure the vessel. I walked onboard cautiously, but everything seemed to be in order. There were no clear signs of a struggle or fight. I made my way to the bridge, stopping before I made it due to a bright, blinking light on the main holoprojector. A recording.

I played the recording. Then played it again.

I felt a great pain as I listened to my former student. She sounded so conflicted and unsure. Something had happened over the last few weeks. I had my suspicions, but that was all they were, suspicions. It didn't seem like a coincidence that her ship had been put into storage by another Chiss.

I stopped the recording and dialed in the holo frequency for Tython. Moments later, Master Satele appeared.

"What have you found?" She asked.

"I'm sending a holo recording. See for yourself."

I stood patiently as she, and the other members of the council watched.

"So, we've lost her." Jaric said. "She's fallen."

"I don't believe so." Said Orgus. "If she had truly fallen to the darkside, she wouldn't have left a message. A very conflicted message. Her actions are not those of someone falling to the darkside."

"I agree." Said Satele. "She's confused. She said it herself, she has questions she can't answer. Zanthia is on a quest to find answers. We can't blame her for that."

"There's more, Master." I said. "Her ship was put into long term storage by a male Chiss."

"That doesn't necessarily mean she's turned to the Empire. We all believe she spent the week on Hoth with other Chiss. The Chiss are a mystery to us and also partially to the Empire as well." Orgus replied.

"The question is, do we try to track her down, or leave her to the Force?" Jaric added. "She carries with her a great deal of knowledge which can't fall into the wrong hands."

"I believe we should let the Force guide her. Zanthia might not yet be lost to us. Someday, she may return. This would not be first time a Jedi leaves the Order, just to return stronger and more focused. Until that day, we have far more important things to take up our time than searching for a Jedi, who might not want to be found." Master Satele said, sounding very final. "And I'm confident she will guard any sensitive secrets. As Orgus said, she wouldn't have left a message if she was planning on changing sides."

"I agree." I said. "My former student must find her own way, even if that way is not with our Order." It pained me to say the words. Zanthia many not have turned to the darkside, but she was now lost to us. Lost until the day she decided to be found.

* * *

To Be Continued...


	21. Chapter 21

Sorry for the delay. Enjoy!

* * *

 **Zanthia POV**

I stood on the second floor balcony of Saganu's estate on Ool, looking out over the vast agricultural land. It was all very beautiful and peaceful. It had been only a week since we arrived and I was already more relaxed than I could remember ever being.

Saganu stood behind me, his arms wrapped around me protectively. He leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on my cheek.

"You seem happy." He said quietly in my ear.

I smiled, though he couldn't see it. "I am. The Force is very quiet here. Less people, more nature. Plants, animals, insects, even the ground itself, all of the living Force around us is balanced. At peace. I have never been this relaxed."

I leaned back into him, enjoying his gentle touch. I could feel his heart beating in his chest. His presence in the Force was comforting to me now, like soft music in the back of my mind.

"I'm happy to see how comfortable you've become in my arms." He said.

I chuckled. "You're a hard man to resist. Not sure if the effect is just to me or if all women would find you as alluring as I do. You have a very attractive presence, at least to a Force user. I've always found your place in the Force calming. Though controlling my heartbeat when in your arms is becoming difficult."

"Then don't control it. I like to feel your heart pounding against my chest. As if I have a second heart in that moment. You're not a member of the Order anymore. There is no need for you to control yourself. Let go and let yourself feel."

I turned around in his arms, so I was now facing him. "I'm afraid."

He remained quiet, allowing me to explain.

"I don't want to fall to the darkside. I fear the way I feel for you and the emotions you stir in me. Fear leads to the darkside."

Saganu placed his hands on either side of my face and looked into my eyes. "I will not let that happen. There's no need to fear what you'll become, if you stay by my side. You're a good person and no amount of love or affection will change that fact. You have no reason to fear."

I turned back around, looking out at the fast view. "I hope, with time, I'll learn to believe you."

"You will." Saganu said softly, tightened his embrace.

* * *

We spent two months on Ool.

As time passed, my fears faded. I learned I could have feelings for Saganu and still be the same person I was before he became a significant part of my life. I was quickly falling in love with him and I felt no closer to the darkside.

At first I had my own room. Saganu didn't want to pressure me into anything too quickly. We spent almost every waking moment together. We'd take strolls through the local markets, eating at pricey cafes and danced whenever there was music to do so, regardless if there was anyone else dancing.

He was doing everything in his power to make me happy and it was working. Instead of fearing the way my heart sped up at his touch, I began to like it, even yearn for it.

After the first month, I began sleeping in his room at night. Ever the gentleman, he let me dictate the pace of our physical relationship. I found as I began to think less like a Jedi and more like a woman, even this began to come easily to me. It was as if a dormant part of me was waking after a long hibernation.

I often thought of the people I left behind. I regretted leaving, but for the first time, I was genuinely happy. For the first time, I felt like I truly belonged.

By the end of the second month, I had agreed to be Saganu's mate.

* * *

To Be Continued...


	22. Chapter 22

New chapter up. Got a new POV on this one. Hope you enjoy. Thanks for reading and reviewing.

* * *

 **Dr. Yonca POV**

Saganu had been gone for nearly four months, saying he was leaving to find and bring home his mate. It sounded like an excuse to take a long vacation. He wouldn't be the first man of noble birth to take such a pilgrimage and wouldn't be the last. Actually, I was surprised he had waited as long as he did to leave. Most nobles rank finding a suitable mate above duty to one's post.

At the start of the fifth month, the Aristocra sent a holo, saying he and his mate were returning to Hoth. He gave no other details besides a list of modifications to be made to his quarters.

I had been assigned to Zero Station for almost five years and Saganu had been its commander long before I arrived. I knew the man well, being the station's only primary doctor. I even considered him a friend. I was excited to meet the woman who fit with his extremely high standards.

I was busy in the medcenter when Saganu's ship landed at the hidden landing site several miles away. It took almost a full hour to get to Zero Station by speeder, so I had time to make sure all of the modifications to Saganu's quarters were complete. His instructions had been very specific and I wanted to make sure everything was ready.

Many of the soldiers on the station gave me funny looks for being excited about Saganu bringing his mate to Hoth. What could I say, I'm a people person and a sucker for relationships.

When his speeder arrived, I stood waiting. It was standard procedure for any personnel arriving from off world to have a full medical exam and body scan before being allowed into the more sensitive areas of the station. Even the station's Aristocra.

Saganu held out his arm, helping the woman seated behind him off the speeder before dismounting himself. He took off his helm and smiled at me.

"Doctor, it's good to see you."

"Welcome back, Sir."

I watched as the woman took off her helm as well, revealing a familiar face.

"Zanthia! Is that you?" I said, shocked. I had honestly believed I would never see the Jedi again. Afterall, the last time she was here, she had technically been our prisoner.

"Nice to see you again, doctor." She said, smiling. There was true happiness in her voice and her eyes. I could see it plain as day.

I lightly slapped Saganu on the arm. "Why didn't you tell me you were going after Zanthia?"

Saganu chuckled. "I wasn't sure if she would agree."

Zanthia stood beside him and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and kissed her temple. The Jedi seemed very comfortable in the embrace.

"I didn't say yes right away. It took a couple of months. What can I say, I couldn't resist his charms."

I was impressed. To not only win the heart of a Jedi, but also convince her to switch sides, was quite a feat. I knew Saganu was a charming man, but I never knew he was this charming. I could understand why he found Zanthia so appealing. She was a powerful, intelligent and beautiful woman. Saganu had always been the type who wanted more in a mate than someone who looks good on his arm. He wanted someone who was his equal.

"Well, if you'll both follow me. Aristocra, your scan will only take a few minutes, but Zanthia, you'll probably be with me for the better part of the day."

"It's standard procedure for all new additions to the station to have a full medical workup, to establish a baseline. We also scan for trackers, listening devices and such, as a security precaution." Saganu explained to Zanthia.

She nodded. "Fully understandable."

After I scanned Saganu, he left Zanthia with me to check in with the control room. He was never one to stay out of the loop for long once he returned to the station. For her part, Zanthia looked perfectly comfortable after he left. The whole situation had to be weird for her, but you'd never know it looking at her.

I began my tests quietly, but I hated silence.

"Mind if I ask a personal question?" I asked.

Zanthia laughed. "You're about to do all kinds of medical tests, which I'm sure will involve scanning and probing. Anything you ask couldn't be more personal than that, so ask away."

"That is true." I chuckled. "How did Saganu managed to convince you to turn your back on the Jedi and join the Ascendancy? From what I learned from your previous time with us, you were dug in fairly deep with them."

"I'm still a Jedi. Not being an active member of the Order will never change that fact. I just simply chose to experience life outside of the Order. Saganu asked me, since I was raised to be a Jedi, if I'd still have chosen that life for myself, now that I'm old enough to understand what it means." Zanthia looked down at her hands. "I couldn't answer the question." She looked up at me. "I still can't. I've felt a very strong connection with him since the moment we met. I decided to try with him."

I couldn't help but smile. "I'm happy for you both. Saganu is a good man. I've known him for five years now. You'll be hard pressed to find a more noble and honorable person. He'll make a good mate. And, if you don't mind me saying so, you're perfect for him. He's never been one for frills. You're beautiful, but also functional. You're more than just a pretty face."

Zanthia blushed slightly. "You're very honest."

I shrugged. "Occupational hazard, I'm afraid. If you ever want an honest opinion, you'll know where to go."

"I'll keep that in mind. I might just come to you when I need a sounding board, since I know so few people here. This transition will be difficult for me. Saganu and I made an arrangement which will be interesting to stick to."

"Arrangement?"

Zanthia nodded. "I'm still a Jedi and I refuse to either become Sith or help the Empire in any direct way. On the other side, Saganu will continue to serve as an ally to the Empire, when the situation calls for it and will not help the Republic in any direct way."

"Will you still serve the Republic?' I asked.

"No. I'm a Jedi and will live my life as one to the best of my ability, but i will serve the Ascendancy and only the Ascendancy. If things happen which involve the Empire or the Republic, we agreed I will sit them out."

I thought for a moment. "That won't be easy. Sometimes we're very active with the Empire and it's not unusual to have the Republic in our line of sight."

"No, it won't , but nothing worth doing ever is." She replied.

It took several more hours to finish my tests, but the time was spent with comfortable chit chat. We got to know each other in a way only two women can. There were only a few females on the station, and most of them were soldiers, meaning they weren't overly comfortable with girly conversation. Zanthia, on the other hand, seemed to enjoy it, as if it were something new and exciting to her. From what we had dug up about the Jedi, it probably was new.

It will be nice to have her as a friend.

* * *

To Be Continued...


	23. Chapter 23

Next chapter up. Enjoy!

* * *

 **Zanthia POV**

After two weeks, I'd managed to slip into a normal routine. I decided before arriving on Hoth that I would focus myself on honing my healing skills in the Force. I knew how to heal using my gift, of course. It was standard training for all padawans, but I had never taken the time to get truly good at it. Considering the circumstances, healing seemed to be a relatively safe function I could perform and not need to worry much about being forced into a situation which favored either side of the galactic war. As a Jedi, I was honor bound to heal anyone who needed healing, regardless of side.

This also gave me a chance to get to know more of Zero Station's occupants. There were several familiar faces, but those faces were far outnumbered by the unknown ones. Dr. Yonca helped me get acclimated. She became a fast friend, a valuable ally and she didn't mind me hanging around her med-center all day. She seemed fascinated by my healing techniques, asking many questions I was more than happy to answer.

Saganu had his quarters enlarged and arranged so I would be comfortable. It was Hoth, which meant the space was still cold and icy, but I had never required luxury in my accommodations and the space was more than adequate for our needs.

I missed my old life. I'd be lying to myself if I said otherwise, but I was enjoying my new life too. I was slowly learning that just because something was different, didn't mean it was bad, or that what I left behind was bad, either. Overall, I was learning more about myself and was content.

I sat quietly in the medical bay, listening to Yonca explain to a soldier the importance of staying off a sprained ankle while it healed, reading a datapad about recent discoveries in fracture mending. I found I learned a great deal from just observing the Doctor as she worked. Fortunately, she didn't mind being quietly shadowed. I think she was actually enjoying the company. She was also helping me learn the Chiss language, which I found to be a challenge, but I was picking it up quicking, according to the doc.

The PA system clicked to life in the Med Bay, and a hurried voice filled the room.

"Medical emergency in the hanger. Repeat, emergency in the hanger."

The Doc was already grabbing her medical kit and we hurried out the door. Being the only fully trained medical doctor on the station, she was always prepared. Medical emergencies happened on the station, of course, but this was the first one which was announced over the PA system since I had been around. It had to be bad.

We said nothing as we rushed.

When we got to the hanger, I saw a crowd around a load lifter, which had somehow turned over onto its side. I could sense panic coming from the crowd and one distinct mind calling out in pain. As the crowd parted, I could see several men trying to lift the heavy machine off another man, who was pinned under it. Others were trying to organize a second lifter to lift the first off the man.

"Everyone move back." I yelled, amplifying my voice with the Force. People were slow to respond, but Dr. Yonca started yelling it too, physically pulling the men attempting to rescue the injured man out of the way.

"We have to get it off him before you can help, Doc." One man protested.

"Just move back, Prodo." She responded. We had discussed my abilities and I think she knew what I had in mind to do. She was doing her best to get people out of the way. To give me space.

Not wanting to risk the injured man's life any further by waiting and figuring the others would move once I started, I reached out with the Force. Everyone moved several feet back, once they realized they were not the ones moving the machine. I focused in, closing my eyes and allowed the Force to guide my actions.

The load lifter rose slowly into the air, off the pinned man and settled gently several feet away. I sighed, opening my eyes to see everyone looking in my direction. No doubt few of them had ever been close enough to a Force user, Sith or Jedi, to have seen this type of display of power. It was impressive, when witnessed up close and personal. Hearing about such feats just didn't have the same impact.

Saganu rushed over to my side. "Well done, Zan."

I smiled and nodded at the recognition, as Dr. Yonca rushed over to assist the injured man, who was still in pain, but was far less panicked, now that his legs were free.

"Merely using the tools I have at my disposal." I replied. I moved over next to the injured man. I placed a hand on his arm, using the Force to ease a little of his pain. My efforts allowed him to remain still as the Doc looked him over.

"Well, looks like you have a few broken bones in your pelvic region. We'll get you into a tank and you should be fine." Yonca said, reading the scanner in front of her. As she spoke, a medical assistant droid arrived with a hover-stretcher.

I gently assisted with getting the patient onto the bed and watched as they left the hanger, Saganu by my side. Murrn, who was now a lieutenant in the station's defense force, approached us with a look of amazement on his face.

"That was amazing!" He said. "I had no idea you could do stuff like that."

I smiled at man. "The Force is a powerful ally, when used properly. Being a Jedi is more than simply fighting with a lightsaber."

Murrn nodded. "So, how heavy an object can you lift?"

I shrugged. "I've never tested my own skill, but I've seen some of the more powerful of the Order lift whole ships, even bring down the openings of caves and force open heavy blast doors. Multiple Force users combining their power could probably lift something as big as a Star Destroyer."

Murrn stood quietly, considering my words. I had never really thought about it, but I guessed it must be amazing for a non-Force user to witness some of the things we could do with our power. I was so used to seeing and using the Force, I often forgot others weren't as comfortable. It was something to think about when flexing my Force muscles in the future. I was just glad I could help.

* * *

To Be Continued...

Thanks for reading. Let me know what you think...


	24. Chapter 24

Woo Hoo! A new chapter. Enjoy.

* * *

 **Zanthia's POV**

Five years later…

I sat in our quarters on Hoth, watching as Saganu paced back and forth in front of me, deep in thought. The fine worry lines between his eyes had deepened over the last few years and were standing out particularly well, at the moment. I knew he hated my plan, but being the constant professional in all things work related, he was giving it the consideration he knew it deserved.

"I don't like it." He said, finally stilling his movements.

I sighed. "I know you don't, but it's the best plan we have to get our people back. You know it and I know it."

He began pacing again.

A month ago, a group of Ascendency scientists and a handful of soldiers had been captured by the Republic. They had been on Taris, studying the Rakghouls when they were captured. Reports said the entire group, twenty people, had been taken alive with very few injuries and they were currently sitting in a holding facility on one of the Republic's biggest space stations, awaiting transport to a more permanent facility.

As a rule, I didn't get involved with the Republic. For over five years I had managed to escape doing anything against my former allies, but this situation was different. Our people were doing nothing against the Republic at the time of their capture. They weren't even working for the Empire at the time. They had been captured nowhere near any Republic base or encampment. I hated to say it, but my old friends had crossed a line.

I stood, putting myself in my mate's way. "I know the space station they're being held on. I know its defenses and its capabilities. I can lead a small group in and get our people out without anyone getting hurt. Hell, the Republic won't even know we're there until it's too late to stop us. I can do this."

Saganu held both my shoulders and looked me square in the eyes. "What if something goes wrong? Thrane needs his mother."

A smile crossed my face. I couldn't help it. I always smiled at the mention of our son, Thrane. He had just celebrated his second birthday and was by far the greatest accomplishment of my life. Saganu and I had talked about having children, but Thrane had been an accident. A happy, wonderful, accident.

"I know he needs his mother. This isn't a suicide mission. I'm still a Jedi, remember. Let me do this, before our people are shipped off to a prison on Coruscant, or some equally protected world, and we never get them back. The Republic stepped over a line this time, taking a peaceful science team in neutral territory."

Saganu chuckled this time, pulling me into a hug. "You're still the red flame I fell in love with."

I couldn't help but smile, though he couldn't see it. "And I always will be. Which is the reason you're gonna let me do this."

"You'll take Murrn and his commando team. You'll get in and out as fast as you can and if there are any problems, you're to scrape the mission. Understand?"

At this moment, Saganu wasn't my mate. He was the commanding officer of this base and I was one of the people under his command. I honestly loved seeing him like this, in complete control, but I successfully suppressed the smile fighting to cross my face.

I nodded. "Understood. I'll have the Commander assemble his team and we'll leave as soon as they're ready." I stood up on my toes and gave Saganu a kiss. "And don't worry, I'll be fine."

With one last kiss, I left Saganu in our quarters, heading towards the medical bay, where Dr. Yonca was babysitting Thrane. I pulled out my holo while I walked, dialing Murrn.

"What's the word?" He asked when his image appeared. Murrn was no longer than man who was so jittery he shot me in the back on our first meeting. He was strong, confident and made one hell of a good commander of one of our elite special ops teams. He was also a good friend.

"We're good to go. Saganu just gave us his blessing. Have you and your men gone over the details of the station?"

"Yes, sir. We have the entire plan committed to memory. We'll be gone before they even know we were there." Murrn confirmed.

"Excellent. Give me a hour, then we'll depart."

"Got it, Zan. We'll meet you at my ship in one hour."

The holo went dead just as I walked into the med bay.

"Momma!" Screamed a small, but powerful, voice. Thrane leap up from the miniature table he was sitting at and flew into my arms.

At two years old, he was already walking and talking well. I had known that Chiss grew faster than most species, but it wasn't until I had Thrane that I got to witness it for myself. Not to mention he had already started to exhibit a sensitivity to the Force. It was still weak and unfocused, but I could sense it. I worried about how I was going to address his Force powers, but figured I would have at least another year, possibly two, before I had to cross that bridge.

"Aunt Yonca was letting me make snowballs!" He exclaimed proudly, dragging me over to the table where about seven small balls of snow lay.

I smiled. "And what, exactly, was Auntie Yonca going to let you do with those snowballs?' I asked, looking up at my friend.

"Throw them at Daddy." Thrane replied without pause.

I laughed, crossing my arms over my chest. "Really?"

Yonca waved her hand at me dismissively. "You know he'll love it. Saganu would let this kid get away with murder."

"True." I relied, then gave Yanca a serious look.

"Hey, kiddo, why don't you go over and make more snowballs. You want to have lots of ammunition, don't you?' Yonca said.

Thrane nodded and began working on more snowballs.

"He gave you the green light, didn't he?" She asked me quietly, as we wandered over to the far end of the med bay, away from Thrane.

"Yeah, we leave in an hour."

Yonca sighed, looked over at Thrane, then back at me. She gave me a look somewhere between sadness and anger. She hadn't liked my idea anymore than Saganu.

"There's no way I can talk you out of this, is there?" She asked.

"We owe it to our people to at least try to free them. Don't you want to get Galien back?" I asked. Yonca's mate, Galien, had been one of the scientists captured.

"That's not fair, Zanthia. You know I do. But you don't have to go on this mission personally. Murrn is more than capable of handling it with the intel you provided. There's no reason you need to go."

"What if things have changed. It's been years since I was on the station. I can troubleshoot the system. Murrn and his commandos can't." I placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry. This plan will work. I just need you to help take care of Thrane while I'm gone. With any luck, I'll be back with Galien in a few days."

"Don't worry about that. You just worry about getting back safely." She replied. She pulled me into a hug and accepted it. Truth be told, I was slightly worried about the plan, too, but knew it was the only way to get our people back. I hated to leave Thrane and Saganu behind, but I needed to take the risk.

* * *

To Be Continued...


	25. Chapter 25

Here's a quick one for ya. Enjoy.

* * *

 **Kiwiiks POV**

I sat in my chambers, meditating on the bad feeling I had begun to have a few days earlier. I wasn't sure what it was, but the Force was nagging at me about something, but the details just would not coalesce. It was frustrating.

My door chimed and Master Satele entered, a worried look on her face. She was worrying an awful lot, as of late. I hated that my frustration might be adding to her worries.

"I can feel your frustration, my friend. What's wrong?" She asked, standing before me, as calm as ever. She was very good at hiding her own emotions, even when talking with a friend.

I hadn't realized my mood was so bad as to alert my friend. I stood with a sigh.

"I don't know. I've had this nagging feeling like something was going to happen. I've been meditating on it for two days now and I'm no closer to understanding the feeling than I was when I started.

"Perhaps the Force is simply letting you know to be prepared. That there is nothing you can do to prevent whatever situation is going to happen."

I smiled. "Perhaps you're right. I'm sure there are more important things I could be doing. With so few of the council actually on Tython, at the moment, there are better things for me to do than focus on my bad feelings. The Force will tell me if I need to act."

Satele nodded. "Speaking of our absent council members, Jaric is due to check in any minute."

Master Kaedan had left to supervise the upgrades to Wayland Station, one of the Republic's larger transition stations. It was mainly used to organize supplies to be sent to Republic bases all over the galaxy. It also served as a temporary holding cell for prisoners of war, until they could be processed and assigned to a holding facility. Jaric was, by far, one of the most skilled Jedi as it pertained to military matters and was often called to supervise defensive upgrades.

Master Satele and I walked casually to the council chambers. The holo was already blinking that a call was on hold when we arrived. A holo of Master Kaedan appeared.

"How goes the upgrade, Jaric." Satele asked, taking her seat.

"Everything's on schedule, for the most part. Admiral Hooritha wanted to skip the double check, so the station will be up and running faster, but he listened to reason. After all these years, some things never change when dealing with the military." Kaedan said, slightly exasperated. He was not one to take shortcuts.

"Sounds like you have everything well in hand." I replied.

"Indeed. It's a good thing I'm here for the upgrade. We have a few prisoners on the station. With the interruption in defenses, I can make sure no one tries anything, though I think the likelihood of trouble from these prisoners is fairly low. They look to be mainly non-military. The Admiral says they were spying on one of our bases on Taris. Every single one of them is Chiss."

"Chiss?" I asked. "That's peculiar."

"The Empire doesn't usually use teams made up of entirely aliens." Satele added.

"It is odd, but I'm not sensing any hostility from them. They shouldn't be any trouble." Kaedan said. "I'll communicate again once the upgrades are complete."

The call ended and I headed outside for some air, doing my best to ignore the nagging feeling that something wasn't right. The news about the prisoners on the station only seemed to worsen the feeling.

* * *

To Be Continued...


	26. Chapter 26

Short one for ya. Enjoy! Thanks for reading.

* * *

 **Zanthia POV**

I sat quietly in the galley of Murrn's ship, sipping a cup of tea and looking over the last few intelligence reports on the Wayland. It looked like the station was having some controlled power fluctuations. I was beginning to believe the Force was truly with us on this mission.

Murrn walked in and took a seat next to me.

"So, how's it look?" He asked.

"Actually, I think we might be in luck. The station seems to be suffering from controlled power fluctuations. They're probably upgrading some of their systems. I've already determined a pattern. If we can make our move during one of the gaps, this mission might have just gone from possible, to easy."

Murrn leaned back in his seat, placing his hand behind his head.

"You seem very relaxed." I said, eyeing my companion.

He shrugged. "I trust you. If you say we can do this, then I believe you. I've seen what you can do."

"Don't be too relaxed. I'm not infallible. Lots of things could go wrong. You and your men still need to be at top form once we get onboard."

Murrn straightened up. "Don't worry, Zan. We're on this."

We sat in quiet silence for a few moment until Murrn's second in command called to say we were minutes away from the station. It was time to work.

* * *

 **Kaedan POV**

I sat quietly in the security room of Wayland station, only half paying attention to the task update tracker. About half the stations upgrades were complete, with no issues. This wasn't the most interesting work, but someone had to be here to make sure the military didn't try to cut corners. They liked efficiency and sometimes doing things properly was less than efficient. Particularly when computer technology was concerned.

As if by mentioning that everything was going without a hitch had jinxed us, an indicator light started to blink on one of the hanger doors. It flashed for a half a dozen seconds, then turned off again.

"What was that?" I asked the tech sitting with me.

"Looks like a glitch in the secondary door for hangar 3. Probably a ghost signal from the upgrade. Should I have someone go take a look?" He asked, preparing his communicator.

I stood, stretching. "No, don't worry about it. I'm sure it's nothing. I'll go have a look at the terminal in hangar 3. I need to get up and move around anyway."

The tech nodded. "As you like, Master Jedi."

I started strolling through the corridors, relishing the chance to get up and move after hours of monitoring the upgrades. I was only a few yards from hangar bay 3 when I smelled the gas…

* * *

To Be Continued...


	27. Chapter 27

Next chapter up. Enjoy.

* * *

As soon as we were docked, I quickly accessed the security terminal as one of Murrn's men attached the gas canister to the air vent. It wouldn't knock out everyone on the station, but everyone in and around the detention area would be out cold for at least an hour. That was more than enough time to get in and get out.

I deactivated all the security lockdowns between the hangar and the prisoner holding area, as well as sealed all access to the area from other sections of the station and deactivated all automated defensive weapons. The detention area was alarmingly close the the hanger bay. There had been talk of moving its location before I left the Republic, but fortunately, it seemed as though they had yet to make any changes. Stations such as this were always slow to change.

Once everything was set, I motioned for the commandos to follow me, as we made our way into the station. All of the team had been inoculated against the gas we used, so we had no difficulties in the corridors. I happily noted that there were several unconscious people in the halls as we progressed. The gas obviously worked like a charm. Fortunately, the gas would be dissipated enough to not render the prisoners unconscious once they entered the hallway. The cells themselves were on a separate ventilation system then the main rooms.

It only took a few minutes to locate our people, thanks to the schematics I had dug up from the computer..

I used my lightsaber to slice through the locking mechanisms. "Follow the Commander to the transport." I ordered, counting the people as they made their way out of the cells. In the final cell was Galien.

"Zanthia, what are you doing here?" He asked, obviously surprised by my presence on the rescue mission.

"Oh, you know, taking a stroll." I joked.

Galien rolled his eyes, but followed the other towards the hangar bay. Murrn ran up to me.

"Is that everyone?" He asked.

I nodded. "All twenty. Let's get outta here. I can sense that people are starting to notice the lockdowns, but they don't seem concerned yet. They must think it's all just a glitch from the upgrades they're running. It won't take long for them to figure out what's going on."

Murrn and I hurried along, making sure no one followed us. It was then that I sensed it. A presence I hadn't felt for years. He wasn't in the hangar bay yet, but he was close. He was also alone. I stopped in mid stride just outside the hanger and Murrn stopped too, concerned.

"What is it?" He asked.

A deep feeling of dread spread across me. "When everyone's on board, you leave. Whether I'm on or not."

Murrn continued to look at me with concern. "What do you mean. Why would you not be with us?"

"No time to explain. Once you're set, you go. Got it." I said. It wasn't a question.

Murrn nodded, but still looked distressed by my request, as we entered the hangar bay and our people began filing onto the ship. At first I thought we might just make it, but then the far door of the hangar opened and Master Jaric Kaedan entered, lightsaber already ignited. Somehow, he had managed to get past the gas. I shouldn't have been surprised.

"Get them outta here!" I ordered Murrn as I approached the Jedi Master. I had my weapons out, but not ignited. I needed to stall for time. I placed myself between him and the ship, just on the other side of the bulkhead which separates the airlock. I didn't even understand what he was doing on the station to begin with.

"I was hoping I was wrong about the presence I sensed." He said, his weapon still at his side. He wasn't going to attack me yet, but he was ready. He was the epitome of calm, though I knew he could snap into action in seconds.

"Sorry to disappoint you." I replied, keeping my position. My people were now all aboard the ship. I used the Force to bring up the forcefield between me and the ship, then opened the hangar doors and destroyed the control panel.

"You're commiting an act of war against the Republic by freeing Imperial prisoners."

I kept my eye contact. Of all the Jedi Masters on the council, I had always respected Kaedan the most. It was difficult to see the disapproval in his eyes. "Those people are not with the Empire. They're scientists. They were studying the Rakghoul plague, nowhere near any Republic installation. If anything, you committed an act of war against the Chiss Ascendancy by taking them captive. You might need to check your intel."

By this time the ship was starting the leave, but I could feel Master Kaedan's attempt to keep the ship in place. He was powerful enough to succeed, unless I did something more drastic.

I growled. "Damn it, Master Kaedan! Don't make me fight you."

"It's you making that choice, not I."

In an instant, he leapt at me. I ignited my weapons and deflected his blow. I was no match for Master Kaedan with a lightsaber, even with his focus half on keeping the ship in place. I knew this, but I needed to find a way to distract him enough to break his connection with the ship. It only needed a few seconds to get away. I battled him, doing my best to get as close to the forcefield as I could, without him knowing that was what I was doing. The Jedi Master was as much a challenging opponent as I remembered from my training.

Once we were close enough, I shutdown my lightsabers and charged him. Not ready for a non-weapon oriented assault, he was thrown off balance just enough for me to push both of us into the forcefield. The jolt knocked the wind out of me, but it also did what I hoped. Kaedan lost his connection long enough for the ship to leave the hangar.

I focused on trying to get a breath in as I felt the ship go into hyperspace...

* * *

To Be Continued...


	28. Chapter 28

New chapter up! Enjoy. And to those celebrating Thanksgiving...have a wonderful holiday!

* * *

 **Kaedan POV**

I hadn't been prepared for Zanthia to physically charge me and push both of us into the forcefield. It took several minutes for me to recover from the jolt. Zanthia lay next to me, also doing her best to breath. By then it was too late to stop the ship, but it was also too late for Zanthia. Several soldiers had managed to get into the hangar and were surrounding us. Admiral Hooritha helped me to my feet.

"What the hell happened?"

"Jailbreak." I replied, finally getting in enough air to talk, though my lungs were still burning from lack of oxygen.

The admiral looked down at Zanthia, who was still on her knees. "And this?"

"She's a former Jedi. She led the jailbreak. The others got away."

I moved towards Zanthia, but she moved, faster than I could have at that point, and stood at the far end of the hangar, lightsabers ignited. I could feel her fear. Her eyes weren't glowing as brightly has they had been when our confrontation started.

"Put those away and surrender. There's nowhere for you to go." I said, retrieving my weapon from the floor, but not igniting it. She was cornered but she was smart enough not to attack. At least I hoped she was. I didn't want to have to tell Bela I was forced to kill her former padawan. I honestly didn't want her blood on my hands. Zanthia had always been a particularly attentive student and I didn't want to kill her. Her death would be a terrible tragedy, even if she was no longer a Jedi with the Order.

I could feel as Zanthia began to calm herself. She was surrendering. I allowed myself to relax, but then I felt something else. She began to get too calm. I could feel her heart slowing down and her consciousness slipping. Her weapons fell to the floor, followed closely by their owner. I made it to her before she fell completely, laying her gently on the ground.

"What happened?" The Admiral asked, joining me by her side.

"I have no idea." I replied, cradling the now unconscious woman. She was still alive, but if I hadn't been a Force user, I would have sworn she was dead.

* * *

 **Kiwiiks POV**

"I don't know what happened. She went from terrified, to calm, to unconscious in a matter of seconds. I've honestly never seen anything like it." Master Kaedan explain to us as we stood in the council chambers on Tython. "She must have taken some kind of sedative or poison."

"Zanthia in being looked over by Master Benzel. She'll discover the root cause of her comatose state." Master Satele said. "What worries me more is the reason behind her assault on the station. She said she was rescuing her people from being falsely imprisoned?"

"So she claimed. And she wasn't deceiving me, so she honestly believed what she said." Kaedan said.

"I'll speak to the Chancellor, see if we can get a formal investigation on the circumstances behind the arrest of the chiss. In the meantime…" Satele said, but was interrupted as Master Benzel entered. She was a young Miraluka, with long blonde hair, a pale complexion and wore a red cloth around the area where a human's eyes would normally be located.

"Sorry to interrupt, Masters, but I figured out what happened to Zanthia." She looked down at the data pad, then back up at us. "She's in a Force trance. An extremely deep one. I've heard of them, but have never seen one in person." She looked at Kaedan. "You said she entered this state over a matter of seconds?"

Kaedan nodded.

"Well, a trance of this caliber should have taken several minutes to induce. Fifteen, maybe ten minutes at the least and she should have been in a deep meditation during those minutes. I had no idea Zanthia was powerful enough to do something like this." Benzel said. The healer had been studying the Force around the same time as Zanthia. They had been around the same level when she had disappeared.

"Very few Jedi are." Satele replied. "She obviously hasn't abandoned her training and she's far more powerful than any of us would have guessed."

A young padawan rushed into the chamber. "Master Satele? A recorded message just came in from the orbital station. It's addressed to the council." The padawan handed over a datapad, bowed, then left the chamber.

Master Satele looked at the pad. "Hmm, interesting. No origin, nothing useful to trace the message. Let's see what it says." She linked the message to the general holo display table. An image of a male chiss appeared before them. We was dressed in an official military uniform, but it wasn't Imperial and he stood at attention like a high ranking officer. His gaze was neutral and calm.

"This message is for the Jedi council. By now you no doubt have a former member of your Order in your custody. She is a member of the Chiss Ascendancy and we wish her returned to us. Though she was captured while trespassing on a Republic station, no permanent harm was done to the facility or your people. The situation behind our people's imprisonment by the Republic is a misunderstanding and we wish to negotiate in order to resolve this matter peacefully. Zanthia has spoken highly of your council and the compassion of the Jedi. It's now time to see if she was being misled. Return her." There was slight pause, but the man's expression didn't change. "Her son needs his mother."

The message ended.

"Mother." I said, shocked.

"It would explain why she left the Order. She wouldn't be the first Jedi to leave because they fell in love. And she's been gone five years. Plenty long enough to have a child." Master Satele said.

"Actually, that was the next bit of news I was going to tell you." Master Benzel chimed in. "Not only does her medical scan show that she has indeed had a child, but she's actually pregnant."

"Pregnant and still goes on a dangerous mission in enemy territory?" Kaedan said.

Bezel shook her head. "I doubt she even knows. She's only a few weeks along. The fetus isn't even big enough to be sensed through the Force yet. My concern is that this trance she's in will harm the baby. It's not like there's any reference material about past Jedi going into a deep trance while pregnant. Unfortunately, I have no idea how to pull her out of it safely. I'm reluctant to even try."

I sighed. "I'll speak with her. If I use the Force to communicate, maybe I can convince her to wake up."

"You have the best shot of any of us." Master Satele replied. "I will speak with the Chancellor about this situation, but I doubt the Republic will be willing to release Zanthia, regardless of her situation. Our priority should be to get her conscious again, before any harm is done to herself or her baby."

I nodded and followed Benzel out of the chamber. I only hoped Zanthia would be able to hear me.

* * *

 **Kaedan POV**

"The Republic is not going to just give her back. Regardless of the fact that nothing and noone was harmed during the assault, she still committed an act of war against us." I said, taking a seat next to my fellow council member. "The fact that she's pregnant and also has a child back home won't sway them. She had to work hard to be accepted in the Republic before she left the Order, now she'll be seen as just another Imperial."

Satele nodded. "I know. Unfortunately, the longer we hold Zanthia, the worse this situation is going to get, I fear. The message stated the Chiss Ascendancy wishes to settle this peacefully. My concern is what will happen when she isn't returned. How unpeaceful will this get? There is a frequency to send a reply, but I'm not even certain what to say."

I nodded, but said nothing as Satele dialed up Coruscant to talk with the Supreme Chancellor. We knew next to nothing about the Chiss Ascendancy. Would they become violent if Zanthia wasn't returned? The Jedi always sought peaceful ways of ending conflicts such as this one whenever possible, but the Republic wasn't always so enlightened. I had a bad feeling about this.

* * *

To Be Continued...


End file.
